New Moon
by SinIncarnate
Summary: Kouga and Sayomi have become mates, and have begun a family together. But when Sayomi starts to have strange dreams, their blissful life is torn, and she is forced to leave her family behind as she sets out on a quest that will change her life forever.
1. Chapter 1: Expecting

A/N: I know you've all been waiting patiently for it, so here it is, _New Moon_. In the prequel, _Wolf Cry_ (which if you haven't read, I highly suggest you do before reading this), we saw Sayomi and Kouga go through trials that tested their love, their separation and reunion, and finally their mating, and now the story of their life together begins! But what twists and turns will they encounter now? I warn you all now, this story is mainly going to focus on Sayomi, and you'll get to see sides of her that weren't really shown in _Wolf Cry_.

I hope you all find this story as interesting, if not more so than, as _Wolf Cry_, and I hope to read reviews from my awesome fans that supported me in the first story. Oh, and KeikoHayasaka? You better be among the reviewers! If not, I'll seriously cry...

Disclaimer: I _do not_ own Inuyasha or any of its characters, with the exception of the characters found here that I myself created.

* * *

Sayomi sat on the edge of the cliff over looking the lake below the den of the Eastern tribe, the sun shining in her violet eyes and making her ivory skin glow, the breeze blowing through her long ebony hair. She was the alpha female, new mate to Kouga, leader of the Eastern pack, and she was pregnant with his pup.

It had been a three months since Sayomi had discovered she was pregnant, and her belly was now quite swollen. After her discovery she went back to the den and screamed at Kouga for a good half hour for not telling her what was going on. Eventually it ended with her sobbing about how she thought that his cautiousness was because he no longer wanted her. Kouga had no idea that she had felt that way, and lead her to their bed to show her she was quite wrong about that.

Her smile disappeared as she thought about her predicament. Having lost her mother at a very young age, and being raised by a pack of males ever since, she had no clue about how to go about being a mother. She supposed that much of it would be instinctual, but she was still uneasy. 'If I only had a clue, if only I knew what to expect.'

Suddenly she knew what she had to do. She stood quickly, and rushed back to the den to find Kouga. She found him lazily lounging on their bed. Seeing the anxiousness in Sayomi's face, he sat up quickly, immediately concerned.

"What's wrong Sayomi? Are you hurt?" he asked, scanning her body for any possible injury. Not only was he concern for his mate, but also for the pup she was carrying.

"No, I'm fine," she told him quickly. "I need to do something, I have to leave. I'll be back in a few days."

Kouga gaped at her for a second before regaining his composure.

"No way, Sayomi. If you need something, I'll get it. If you need to go some where, I'll escort you. There's no way I'm letting you go off by yourself unprotected." He stood and took her hand, intending to keep her there.

She looked at him, somewhat amused. "Kouga, love, aren't you forgetting that I'm one of the most skilled warriors in the land? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Kouga shook his head vigorously. "Not while you're carrying my pups you aren't. You are not allowed to do anything that would put you in harms way. Besides, you look like you could give birth any day now."

Sayomi sighed and pulled her hand away from him, giving him a sad smile. "Kouga, this is something I have to do _alone_, for my peace of mind. Besides, you need to stay here protect the lands. And if you refuse to let me go by myself, I'll have to take measures into my own hands."

Kouga eyed her warily. "The men can look after the lands just fine. There's no way that I would let you go off alone. I'll tie you up if that's what it takes to keep you here."

Sayomi smiled at him suggestively. "Tie me up, huh? Then maybe I _should _stay..." She growled playfully at him as she trailed her hands over his chest, slowing moving to position herself behind him.

"Oh yeah," Kouga breathed, smiling like a fool as Sayomi wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. He heard her giggle. She stood on tip toe to whisper into his ear.

"I'm sorry, my love," she whispered just before Kouga's world went black and he sank to the ground. She had used a pressure point to render him unconscious. Takehiko, having used it on her before, had taught it to her. Seeing as Kouga was her mate, she thought it a little to brutal to use the usual method of just hitting him on the head. The few members of the pack that were in the den gave her shocked looks, but when she glared at them they quickly made to act as if they had seen nothing.

She bent down and kissed his forehead with a sigh. "You should have just let me go. But don't worry, I'll be fine, and I'll be back in a few days."

She straightened and headed out of the den. She paused at the entrance to look back at the unconscious form of her mate.

"I love you, Kouga," she murmured, just before she slipped silently out of the den.

xxxxxx

She had been running at full speed all the way here, and now she paused beside the waterfall to splash her face with water and to slow her ragged breathing. Running with a bulging belly took a lot of work, but the exercise made her feel good. Once she caught her breath she made her way to the nearby cave entrance. Standing there she called out, "Chika? Chika, are you there?"

There was the sound of light footsteps inside, and then the healer stood before her.

"Sayomi!" Chika exclaimed, embracing her. "What a surprise! And you're with pup, too? My, my, this is some day!"

Sayomi smiled at the demon healer and embraced her affectionately.

"My dear, you are practically glowing with motherhood! It suits you," Chika told her.

Sayomi rolled her eyes, and then smiled. "Well, actually Chika, that's what I've come here to talk to you about."

"I thought so," Chika said, nodding knowingly. She gestured for Sayomi to join her in sitting on the mats that covered the floor. She did so somewhat awkwardly, her protruding stomach getting in the way.

"I'm sure you have many questions, and I will try to answer them the best that I can. What would you like to know?"

Sayomi thought for a moment. "How much longer before I whelp my pups?" she asked eagerly.

Chika smiled at the woman's enthusiasm. "Well, being that you are a wolf youkai, and your features and attributes descend from those animals, you should have a fairly short pregnancy. From what I've witnessed in the past, pregnancy in wolf youkai generally lasts about four months. By the looks of you, you're pretty far along now."

Sayomi nodded. "About three months now," she said.

Chika nodded. "I thought so. Oh, and don't be surprised if you have a litter, either."

'A litter!' Sayomi thought. 'I could have more than one!'

She shook her head, feeling a little out of sorts. "But I can only hear one heartbeat," she told Chika.

Chika eyes opened wide in shock. "You can _hear_ the heartbeat?"

Sayomi looked at her, puzzled. "Yes, that's how I knew I was pregnant in the first place. Why? I am not supposed to be able to?"

Chika grew thoughtful. "You can only hear one? Are you sure?"

Sayomi closed her eyes and tried to focus on the sound as she had before. The heartbeat came through clearly, but wait...

"There are two now!" she exclaimed, clutching her stomach. She hadn't paid attention to the heartbeat since she had discovered her pregnancy. The sound had become background noise. She had never imagined that she was missing a second one!

"Two?!" Chika grew serious, and then amazed. "Well, Sayomi, it looks like you'll be having a litter."

'A litter?' Sayomi thought. 'Oh my gods, I'm having a litter!'

A huge smile spread over her face, and then it disappeared as her joyful mood was interrupted by an unanswered question.

"But you seemed shocked that I could hear the heartbeat in the first place," she said. "Why?"

Chika smiled. "It's nothing to be worried about, Sayomi, dear. I've only heard of female wolf youkai being able to hear the heartbeats of their young a few times, and only in instances where they were carrying females. The mothers are unable to hear the heart beats of males, but can apparently hear the heartbeats of their female pups because they have a stronger heartbeat."

"Oh," Sayomi said, the smile returning to her face. She sat smiling at Chika for several moments before the womans words hit her square in the chest.

"Oh!" she gasped, now fully understanding what Chika had said. She was going to have a daughter! Then another realization washed over her. She could hear _two_ heartbeats. "OH!" she exclaimed. "I'm carrying _two_ female pups! That's never happened before! Females are almost always born as a single pup rather than a litter, and there has definitely never been a case of two females being born at the same time!" Her head was spinning at this point. "I think I need to sit down," she told Chika, her voice faint.

"You are sitting down," Chika pointed out to her with a chuckle.

"Oh, right," Sayomi said, shaking her head to clear it. She was silent for several moments.

"What does it mean?" she asked the healer, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't know," Chika confessed. "But I have a theory."

Sayomi perked up. "Let's hear it then."

Chika seemed to the think for a moment before she spoke.

"The wolf tribes have been in a period of decline for some time now," she stated. "You're numbers are dwindling, and with the loss of the Northern tribe, you're numbers are dangerously low. I think survival has kicked in, and in order to keep the packs for decimation, two females have been produced. Your daughters will be the ones to begin the packs recovery in sixteen years or so."

Sayomi let this information sink in slowly. It seemed a logical explanation, but it didn't make the shock any less intense. She let the information drift to the back of her mind as she focused her attention on the matter at hand. She was having two daughters! She felt her heart swell, as well as her pride. She saw Chika smile at her, and knew that she must really be glowing right now.

"What about mothering?" she asked Chika anxiously. "I don't know how to be a mother. I was raised among males."

Chika laughed. "Of course you know how to be a mother! You just don't know it yet. As soon as those pups are whelped everything will become clear to you."

Sayomi nodded. Then it would be instinctual like she thought. That was one worry out of the way.

"What about the whelping? Would you come? I don't want a bunch of males hanging around while I've got my legs in the air giving birth. Besides, I doubt they would know how to help me once I'm in labor."

Chika burst into laughter at the bluntness of Sayomi's words. For several moments she sat gasping for air like a fish out of water. Finally she managed to calm herself, and still chuckling slightly, she answered, "Of course I will come for your whelping. Just send for me when you go into labor, and I will be there as soon as I possibly can."

Sayomi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much Chika, you have no idea how much that means to me. And thank you for easing my fears about my pregnancy." She rubbed huge belly affectionately. "And thank you for for giving me the gift of knowing I will have daughters."

xxxxxx

Sayomi thanked Chika profusely for her help and bid her farewell, promising to send for when she went into labor. The sun was setting as she departed, and she didn't reach the tribes lands again until well after nightfall. As soon as set foot on her lands though, she was instantly surrounding by her anxious pack mates, Ginta and Hakkaku among them.

"Jeeze sis!" Ginta exclaimed. "We've been looking for you all day. You gave us a scare when we realized that your scent trail went out of the tribes lands."

Hakkaku nodded. "Not to mention Kouga is furious, Sayomi. I can't believe you actually _knocked him out_ to get away. That was pretty drastic."

Sayomi laughed. "It was girl business, guys. And Kouga won't be mad once I tell him the amazing news."

Ginta and Hakkakiu stared at her as her face light up at the mention of good news.

"What good news?" they asked in unison, curiosity consuming them.

Sayomi wiggled a finger at them. "You'll just have to wait to find out. Kouga gets to be the first to know anyway."

Ginta and Hakkaku's shoulder's slumped in disappointment.

"Alright then, we better get you back to Kouga as soon as possible anyway. Takehiko is the only thing keeping somewhat calm at the moment," Ginta told her, signaling for the pack to move out.

xxxxxx

They reached the den around midnight, and Hakkaku and Ginta had to help Sayomi with the climb up to cave because her feet were so sore and swollen from her trip that day. Once they reached their destination though, she insisted that they let her walk on her own, which they allowed. She limped into the den, her eyes scanning for Kouga. She spotted him sitting with Takehiko by the fire, their backs to her.

She could see from where she stood that Kouga's entire body was tense, and she knew he was highly upset. She called out to him softly.

"Kouga, love... I'm back."

He had stood and spun around to face her in a split second, and she made to go to him. But as she made to take a step, her swollen feet and ankles gave out beneath her, and she started to fall. In an instant Kouga had caught her. He carried her bridal style to their bed without a word and laid her down.

Straightening, he began to pace back and forth in front of her, eyes narrowed in rage.

"What we're you thinking?!" he demanded. "Look at you! You shouldn't have strained yourself like that! You can't even walk! What about the pup? You could have put it in danger too!" At the mention of his pup his voice grew soft, worried more than angry.

He stopped pacing and knelt beside Sayomi, taking her hand in his. "I was so worried, love."

She stroked his face with her free hand, trying to soothe him. "I know, I know. And I'm sorry I knocked you out."

Kouga rolled his eyes. "Yes, that wasn't the nicest thing to do to your mate, but I'm more worried about you than I am the fact that you did that."

Sayomi smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Kouga, I have something to tell you, something I found out today."

Kouga cocked his head to the side. "What is it, love?"

Sayomi struggled to sit up, and Kouga fetched a pile of blankets and placed them behind her so she could sit up and still lean against something.

Resuming his place beside her, she looked him directly in the eye and spoke softly. "I went to see Chika today," she told him, and he nodded.

"So that's where you went."

Sayomi nodded in return. "Yes. Kouga... We're going to have daughters."

Kouga felt the wind go out of him. "D-D-Daughters? How do you know? And what do you mean, _daughters_? Daughters as in more than _one_?" His head was spinning.

Sayomi explained to him what had transpired between her and Chika earlier that day, and why Chika thought was the reason that Sayomi was having two daughters instead of one.

Kouga couldn't believe it. I huge grin spread over his face. "I'm going to have daughters," he murmured to himself. Suddenly he swooped down and laid kisses over every inch of Sayomi's face, and she giggled.

"I'm going to inform the pack," he told her, placing one last kiss on her lips. She nodded and watched him exit their little cornered off area. On the other side she heard hoots and hollers go up as Kouga informed the pack of the new information.

The sound of Kouga's fist connecting with someone's face rang out along with a yelp of apology when one of the pack members jokingly asked if they could have dibs on courting his daughters when they came of age. Another yelp rang out when Takehiko apparently decided that the remark offended him as well; he was just as protective of Sayomi and her pups as Kouga was.

Sayomi, although she tried no to, couldn't help but laugh.


	2. Chapter 2: Triplets!

A/N: The next chapter! So much excitement! We finally get to meet Sayomi and Kouga's children for the first time!

Tsukiko means "moon child."

Asami means "morning beauty."

Kazuhiko means "first/harmonious prince."

I'd also like to thank KeikoHayasaka, Night Neko-Jin, Daisy19971, tsukiko008, Lady Rini, and Daeth101- Fox Version for being fantastic reviewers. You all were with me during _Wolf Cry_ and I'm so happy to have you back!

* * *

The weeks flew by blissfully as Sayomi drew nearer to the four month mark of her pregnancy. In that time the pups had begun to kick vigorously, letting their presence be known to Sayomi. Her favorite memory of those weeks had been the day that she had placed Kouga's hand on her swollen belly so that he could feel, and his eyes had grown wide in utter amazement. He had looked from her belly to her, and then back to her belly, and slowly the amazement in his eyes had turned to unbridled pride. That memory would stay with her forever.

She lay now with Kouga on their bed, humming to herself and the little ones that grew inside her, and they kicked and thumped softly in response. Kouga's hand absentmindedly caressed Sayomi's stomach as he held her in his arms.

'This is pure bliss,' Sayomi thought contentedly to herself. 'I could stay like this forever.'

She drew Kouga's face down to hers for a kiss and sighed happily when he obliged. Pulling away from the kiss Kouga ran a hand through her raven hair and smiled at her.

"So, my love, what do you feel? Anything instinctual telling you when you'll deliver, or are we just going to have to be surprised?" He kissed her forehead tenderly and then returned to caressing her belly.

Sayomi smiled at him. "I don't know, I don't have any alerts going off yet, so we may just have to wait and see."

He nodded and leaned down to put his face near her stomach. "Hey you two," he called softly. "You just make sure not to come when I'm not around," he told the pups, thinking of the hunting trip that was coming up in two days. "Wait for me, okay?" He laughed softly when he got a sharp kick in response.

He lay back down next to his mate and watched as she ran a hand over her stomach affectionately. "I think that was a yes," she laughed.

Kouga smiled as Sayomi yawned and snuggled in close to him. They soon fell asleep in each other's arms.

xxxxxx

As the hunting party prepared to set out, Kouga kissed Sayomi tenderly in the light of the rising sun, and repeated his request to his pups that they stay put until he returned.

Ginta and Hakkaku had volunteered to stay behind with Sayomi just in case, and they stood on each side of her as she said her goodbyes to her mate.

"We should be back sometime around nightfall," Kouga assured her. "I love you, Sayomi."

She smiled. "I love you too, Kouga. I think you should get going, the packs getting anxious," she said, gesturing to the group that stood fidgeting near the cave entrance. He laughed and kissed her forehead once, then, signaling to his men, he set off to hunt. Sayomi walked to the cliff above the lake to watch them go, and once they were out of sight she returned to the den.

Ginta and Hakkaku sat by the fire lazily, and she made to join them. Having trouble maneuvering to sit down, she asked Ginta to help her. After several moments, she finally succeeded in positioning her self before the fire.

She sat staring at the flames for some time, enjoying the warmth in the chill morning air. The winter would be upon them soon. The thought of the upcoming cold reminded her of the pelts that she was constructing for her daughters, and she tried to stand to go get them, only to fall over backwards.

Ginta and Hakkaku snickered and she sent them death glares, quickly shutting them up.

"Sayomi, do you need something? Maybe it would be easier if I helped you out," Hakkaku offered.

She glared at him for a few moments more before sighing in agreement.

"Could you please fetch the pelts I've been working on?" she asked him. He nodded and went to fetch them, returning a few moments later carrying a bundle of soft, brown would fur.

She took them and smiled at him appreciatively before setting to work.

She wished that she had black pelts like her own for her children to wear, but since the black wolves were now extinct, the brown would have to do. And after all, they were Kouga's children too, and should wear the pelts of their pack.

She worked for several hours cutting and sewing the pelts into little miniatures of her own outfit. Finally, when she was done, she sat back and admired her handiwork.

'Well, the pups won't be able to wear them for a few months, but by the time they are big enough for them, winter will have set in and these will be useful.'

She lay the pelts out beside her and yawned. Curling up beside the fire, she fell asleep almost instantly.

xxxxxx

She began to dream almost as soon as her eyes had shut.

**_She stood outside a large castle, an ominous aura hanging over it. She felt drawn to this place, as if her heart itself was tied to it in some way. As she silently entered the courtyard, a familiar scent drifted in the air to her nose, though she couldn't place why she knew it so well. Nevertheless, she followed it._**

_**The scent lead her towards the main building of the immense castle, and as she neared she caught the sound of voices. Freezing instantly, she strained to hear what was going on.**_

**_"Naraku, you despicable bastard. You have kept us enslaved here for almost two decades, and now that I have broken free of your spell I will take your head and free my comrades!" Their was a vicious snarl, which was answered by calm voice._**

**_"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That is no way to talk to the one that holds your peoples lives. So you've managed to break free of my spell, and you've decided to kill me. If I cannot keep you enslaved to me, than you are no longer of value to me."_**

_**There was the sound of tearing flesh, and a desperate howl of pain. The sound rang through her body, and she felt as if she herself was being torn in two. She screamed for herself, but she screamed also for the other, who she knew was dying at that very moment. The pain racked her body again, and then suddenly...**_

She was awake, and the pain was not subsiding. Ginta and Hakkaku stood beside her, anxious looks on their faces. The pain washed over her again, and she clutched her belly fearfully. She felt her body contract repeatedly, and she realized what was happening. She was no longer in the dream, but she _was_ going into labor.

Frantically she gestured to Ginta and Hakkaku.

"You must get Kouga and Chika! The pups will be here soon!" she told them anxiously as her face contorted in pain as another contraction hit her.

Ginta and Hakkaku stared at her, blank looks on their faces.

"GO!" she screamed at them. She would have punched them if she could have.

Ginta shook his head. "But Sayomi, there's no one else here. If we leave to fetch them there will be no one here to protect you. Kouga would never forgive us."

"I don't care!" she screamed at them. "I need them both. You _must_ get them! I will be fine by myself!" She snapped her last words at them.

Ginta and Hakkaku glanced nervously at each other and then nodded. It was probably best to just do as she wished rather than to place more stress on her.

Hakkaku bent and took her hand. "We'll be back as fast as lightening," he told her.

"Well you can be back that fast if you never leave!" she growled, pointing to the cave entrance. "Go!"

Ginta and Hakkaku nodded and took off, splitting up to find both Kouga and Chika as fast as they possibly could.

xxxxxx

Twilight had just set in and the hunting pack was heading back to the cave when Kouga was ambushed by Ginta. The wolf stood panting before his leader, completely out of breath and trying to convey the situation to his leader by use of hand gestures.

Kouga watched as Ginta threw hand sign after hand sign at him, growing frustrated.

"What the hell is the matter, Ginta? Just spit it out all ready!"

Ginta finally caught his breath and sputtered, "Sayomi! Labor!"

Kouga froze for a moment, and then bolted, leaving his men in the dust. Ginta collapsed, exhausted, on the ground.

xxxxxx

Chika sat drinking a cup of tea before her own small fire, watching the flames dance before her. She was suddenly interrupted by a voice outside her lair.

"Chika! Healer Chika!" Someone was calling for her, and calling urgently. She set her cup of tea down and stood, making her way quickly to the entrance of her home. Stepping outside, she found a very tired wolf practically screaming her name.

"CHIKA!" Hakkaku howled at the top of his lungs. He knew the healer resided in this area, but having never been here before he didn't know precisely where to look. He was startled by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

He spun around quickly to find a female youkai standing before him. "Are you the demon healer, Chika?" he asked her, on the edge of hysterics.

"I am," she replied calmly. "By the looks of it, you have come to me on Sayomi's orders, have you not?"

Hakkaku nodded vigoriously. "Please, you must go to her now! There's no time for talk!"

Chika nodded and returned to her lair to gather up the bundle of items that she had prepared for this day. Grabbing what she needed she returned to Hakkaku, and he lead the way back to the den.

xxxxxx

Sayomi lay before the fire, sweat dripping off her face. The contractions came steadily, she had become accustomed to them by now, and they were somewhat less painful. She panted heavily, trying with all her might to keep the pups from coming before their father had a chance to return. She knew that more than anything Kouga wanted to be able to witness the birth of his daughters.

Trying to distract herself from the pain, she focused on the events that had occurred in her dream. By that point, she could remember little beside the familiar scent, and the name that kept ringing through her head: Naraku.

She had only heard the name a few times in her lifetime, and always from Kouga. Naraku was the one that was responsible for the death of the Northern tribe, the total annihilation of her people. The name made her blood boil. She wanted to know what the dream meant, but now was not the time. Instead she dedicated herself to carving the dream into her mind the best she could, so that she could ponder it later.

She was brought back to reality as a sharp pain shot up her spine. She glanced down at her belly, and watched as the violet scars there were pushed and shoved as her pups moved about. She prayed that Kouga and Chika would arrive soon. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand this.

As if in answer to her prayers, Kouga suddenly appeared at the entrance to the den, and he rushed to her side. Taking her hand in his he squeezed it reassuringly.

"I'm here, love, I'm here."

Another contraction hit her and she grimaced, causing Kouga's face to fill with worry. He was completely helpless here. There was nothing he could do for her beside be with her.

Sayomi brought her hand up to his face, and tried to smile for him.

"I'm fine, it's over now, everything is going to be alright," she said, trying to soothe him. He nodded, but didn't look convinced.

The sound of footsteps alerted them to Chika's arrival, and Sayomi turned her head to watch the healer enter the den. She stopped beside Kouga and pointed outside.

"You better stop your men now, or soon you're going to have the whole pack in here."

Sure enough, Kouga could hear them making their way up to the den. He looked at Sayomi helplessly.

Chika placed a hand on his shoulder. "Go. She will be fine, and by the looks of things she won't give birth before you get back."

Kouga nodded and kissed Sayomi's forehead before reluctantly heading out to stop his men from eagerly storming the den.

Chika knelt beside Sayomi and looked her over quickly.

"How far apart are the contractions?"

"About two minutes," she panted.

"And are you in much pain?" Chika asked her.

Another contraction washed over Sayomi and her face twisted in pain.

"I guess that answers that," Chika said seriously.

She unfolded the bundle she carried and held out a strange looking root to Sayomi.

"Eat this, it will dull the pain."

At the prospect of easing the pain, Sayomi snatched the root from Chika and swallowed it whole. Chika had to choke back a laugh.

Kouga returned a few minutes laughter, saying that the pack was settling in at the foot of the lake for the night.

For the next few hours Kouga fetched and heated water while Chika tended to Sayomi. Finally her contractions came consecutively, and Chika knew it was time.

"Alright, Sayomi, breathe, just breathe," she told her as she positioned herself to receive the pups as they came.

"Alright now, push with the contractions. Push, Sayomi. I can see the head, once more now, push!" The sound of a baby's cry filled the air as Sayomi whelped the first pup. Chika cut the tie with the mother and held the pup out before her.

"A girl, just as I thought," she said proudly showing the pup to Sayomi.

Sayomi's face filled with the purest of love. "Tsukiko..." Sayomi breathed. Chika handed the child to Kouga, who echoed Sayomi's words.

The contractions came again, and once again cries filled the air. "Another girl!" Chika smiled, holding the pup out for Sayomi, who smiled as well.

The broke over the horizon at that moment, and Sayomi said, "Asami..."

Chika placed Asami in Sayomi's waiting arms, and Sayomi felt the purest joy she had ever known. She looked to Kouga who cradled Tsukiko in his arms, and they smiled at each other, and Kouga bent to place a kiss on Sayomi's lips.

Suddenly her face contorted with pain.

"What's wrong?" Kouga asked, looking anxiously from Sayomi to Chika. Chika's eyes opened wide.

"Quickly, Kouga, take Asami from Sayomi. There's another pup!"

"Another pup!" Sayomi and Kouga exclaimed together, shocked.

"Yes, yes, now do what I say!" Chika ordered.

Kouga took Asami from Sayomi, and Chika told her to push. Within minutes cries once again filled the air, and Chika held up a third pup.

"A boy!" she exclaimed. "Well, that would explain why we didn't know their was a third until now!" She quickly cut the ties and held him out to Sayomi, who took him in hers arms, tears streaming down her face.

"A boy..." she whispered, touching his tiny fingers. "Kazuhiko..."

Kouga shook himself out of his haze and exclaimed, "A boy! The heir to the Eastern lands!" He could hardly contain himself. He placed kisses all over Sayomi's face as Chika confirmed that there were no more pups, and started to clean up.

Sayomi's eyes began to droop, and soon she had passed out, exhausted, still holding Kazuhiko in her arms.

Juggling his daughters in his arms Kouga took Sayomi's hand. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for giving my the greatest gift that I could ever recieve."


	3. Chapter 3: Like Mother, Like Son

A/N: Another chapter! Yay! I decided to put this one out a little faster, so enjoy!

A big thanks to Night Neko-Jin, Daeth101- Fox version, tsukiko008, Lady Rini, Daisy19971, and Mistress Persephone. You are all amazing, and I love reading your reviews.

A super-duper giagantic thanks goes to KeikoHayasaka, for keeping me going like no one else possibly could. YOU ROCK!

* * *

Sayomi woke at twilight, somewhat groggily. Searching beside her for her pups, she couldn't find them, and sat up in a panic.

"Kouga!" she half yelled, half screamed. Her mate came flying to her side in an instant.

"What is it? What's wrong, love?" he asked, taking her into his arms protectively. She sobbed against him.

"W-Where are my pups?" she cried frantically. Kouga kicked himself mentally. The pups should have been with her when she awoke, he had sent her into a panic for no reason.

"Shh, shh," he whispered softly. "They're fine. They're with Ginta, Hakkaku, and Takehiko. They've been fussing over them more than I have."

Sayomi struggled to relax. Her pups were safe, and that was all that mattered. Finally managing to stop crying, she let Kouga pick her sore body up, and he carried her to where Ginta, Hakkaku, and Takehiko sat, setting her down gently and taking his place at her side.

Sayomi completely relaxed, finally being able to see that her pups were fine. Ginta held Asami, Hakkaku held Kazuhiko, and Takehiko had Tsukiko. She held out her arms and Ginta gave her Asami. She held her daughter close, taking her in.

Asami lay in her arms, staring back at her mother boldy. Sayomi smiled to see that she looked much like her father. Her hair was a light brown like her fathers, and full of soft curls. Sayomi remembered that her own mother had had curls, and smiled happily that she had been blessed with having part of her mother in her daughter. Asami's skin was the tone as her fathers, but her eyes were a beautiful golden amber.

Sayomi nuzzled her daughter and handed her back to Ginta, who began to coo affectionately at the little girl. She turned to Takehiko, who reluctantly gave of Tsukiko.

"She looks like her mother," Takehiko said softly.

He was right. As Sayomi gazed down at the wide eyes of her daughter, she almost thought she was looking at a younger version of herself. Tsukiko had dark brown hair that bordered on being black, and her skin was as only a shade darker than Sayomi's. Her eyes were something else though. Tsukiko's eyes were a startling silver. She laughed softly at how much her daughters were polar opposites of each other, and found that they had been correctly named. Asami was like the day, and Tsukiko the night.

She kissed Tsukiko on the forehead and handed her back the eagerly waiting Takehiko. Finally, she turned to Hakkaku, who place Kazuhiko in her waiting arms. Her son was the most shockingly beautiful of all.

His hair was black as night like Sayomi's, and his skin the exact same ivory color. His facial structure was his fathers almost exactly. But what amazed Sayomi the most was his eyes. They were a dark, royal purple, and looking into them Sayomi's only memory of her father flashed through her mind.

A single tear slipped down her cheek, and she smiled. Each of her children was perfect in their own way, each beautiful. She had never been happier in her life.

Handing Kazuhiko back Hakkaku, she crawled into Kouga's lap, his arms holding her protectively. She smiled at him briefly before turning her attention back to her pups. The sight that awaited her made her giggle.

Three grown men, warriors no less, sat cuddling and cooing affectionately at the pups. Hearing Sayomi laugh, they all looked up, and blushed momentarily before returning their attention to their respective pups.

Sayomi snuggled in closer to Kouga, and together that sat peacefully watching their new family.

xxxxxx

Three years passed by peacefully for everyone. The dream that had come to Sayomi during her whelping came and went, but she never saw anyone at the castle in her dreams, and she pushed it to the back of her mind, telling herself it was just a dream.

The pups grew strong and began to walk, and Ginta, Hakkaku, and Takehiko had taken it upon themselves to become their keepers and teachers. Sayomi had never known such joy in her life. She began to teach them how to talk and fight, and Kouga took them out on small excursions to start practicing hunting, most of the time the prey were small lizards.

She remembered the day that Kazu had come home to the den, proudly swinging a dead lizard in his hand. "Momma! I caught my prey!" She had praised him and then he had run off to find Uncle Hakkaku, who had become his mentor. Kouga had come in not long after with the girls, and he was almost as full of pride over Kazu's success as Kazu was. The girls, who hadn't caught anything, weren't as impressed.

The girls, Asami and Tsukiko, we're beautiful as always, and when not with Ginta and Takehiko, they followed Sayomi around wherever she went. They were full of love and light, but like all of Sayomi's children, they had her temper too. Every single one of Sayomi's pups were stubborn and willful, and seeing who their parents were, it was pretty much expected.

Both Hitoshi and Isamu stopped by the den periodically to check on the new family, but Sayomi knew that they really came to see the girls. Her daughters would be responsible for the future generations of the packs, and since Sayomi would never allow her daughters to be arranged, they both wanted to get a head start on the competition.

But the girls loved them both, and Sayomi knew it was very possible that her little beauties could end up alpha females. She didn't care either way, as long as they were happy and with the one that they loved in the end.

xxxxxx

"Kazuhiko!" Sayomi called out to her son, somewhat exasperated. The naked little boy was hightailing it away from his mother and the bath as fast as he possibly could. Tsukiko and Asami sat in the water at the lakes edge, watching their brother with interest. They couldn't understand their brother's aversion to baths at all. They liked to take baths and be clean.

"Kazu!" Tsukiko yelled after her brother. "You're stinky! Do what mommy says and take a bath. I don't want to play with someone who's stinky." She pinched her nose indicating his offending odor.

The little boy stopped running for a moment to turn and stick his tongue out at his sister, giving Sayomi enough time to catch him. Kazu squealed as his mother dragged him back to the lake for his bath.

"Now take a bath, Kazu!" Sayomi growled at him. The pup instinctively submitted to her and crawled into the water, although somewhat reluctantly. Sayomi found a boulder along the lake and sat down, keeping a watchful eye on her son in case he decided to run again. His sisters, who know he would be there until he was clean, helped speed up the process by helping him wash the dirt of his skin.

Sayomi smiled inwardly, though keeping a scowl on her face so Kazu wouldn't think that she had softened. Her pups fought like all pups do, but in the end they loved each other, and the scene before her confirmed that.

Kazu dunked his head under the water to wash his hair, and the girls made their way to the bank to get dressed. Kazu resurfaced and looked at Sayomi, his eyes almost pleading.

"I'm clean, momma. Can I be done now? Please?"

Sayomi nodded, and Kazu squealed and jetted to the bank of the lake to get dressed. In the process of getting dressed he managed to knock Asami over and elbow Tsukiko in the face. Sayomi knew it was no accident, and grinned as she watched the fight ensue. Tsukiko and Asami tackled Kazu at the same time, Asami pinning him and Tsukiko grabbing him in a headlock. Her little girls could definitely hold their own.

Kazu struggled for several moments, and then gave up in favor of crying for his mom.

"Momma! Momma, their hurting m-me!" He let the tears loose as he said the last word.

Sayomi rolled her eyes, but went to separate the three. As she pulled them apart she scolded them.

"Kazu, you brought that on yourself," she said, pointing a finger her son, who's face was now stained with tears.

She turned her back to Kazu and towards the girls. "And you two should know better than to react to him when he acts like that!" She made a big show of sounding upset for Kazu's sake, though all the while grinning and winking at her daughters. The girls giggled, and Kazu peered around his mother to see what was going on. Asami and Tsukiko shut up immediately.

Sayomi surveyed her children. Their little scuffle had left them dirty again.

"All right you three, go take another bath." She pointed back to the lake. Tsukiko and Asami nodded and headed back to the lake, grateful that they didn't have to go about being dirty. Kazu stared at his mother for a moment before sighing and following his sisters. There was no way that his mother was going to tolerate any games now.

xxxxxx

After the pups finished their second bath, Sayomi lead them back up to the den and handed them over to Takehiko, Ginta, and Hakkaku. She was beat.

She lay down on her bed, trying to relax. Kouga had gone to a tribe meeting, and although Sayomi was an alpha now and therefore allowed to attend, she had decided to stay home with the pups this time. She felt that she was letting Ginta, Hakkaku, and Takehiko do to much of the parenting, though after today she was almost okay with that.

Sayomi smiled as she thought about her pups. Kazu, Tsukiko, and Asami, in their short lifetimes, had proven themselves to be a born hunters and warriors, like their parents. They were naturally gifted, strove to do everything on their own, and let nothing get in their way. They could be royal brats, yes, but they were truly good hearted, and a born leaders.

Their was no doubt in Sayomi's mind that Kazu would become a pack leader. Because Sayomi was heir to the Northern lands by way of her father, which was part of the little knowledge she had of her father, and Kouga was leader of the Eastern lands, he was technically heir to both the Northern and Eastern lands. She and Kouga had even thought about giving him the Northern lands as his own when he came of age, since it was his birthright, and neither of them felt right about merging the two lands. They would stay separate out of respect for Sayomi's dead kinsman.

Turning her thoughts to her daughters, she knew that a similar path would open for them too. Already Tsukiko and Asami had become known across the tribe lands as shining beauties, and they often had random visitors from the other tribes, who would come solely to see if the stories of their loveliness were true. They were never disappointed. Her daughters were also strong women, and Sayomi knew that they would become leaders in their own rights, whether they took alphas as their mates or not. What ever men were brave enough to take her daughters as their mates had better be strong enough to keep up with them.

Sayomi felt her eyelids grow heavy, and she yawned. Within moments she had fallen asleep, and she found her dreams a place of danger.

**_She stood outside the large castle again, the ominous aura hanging over it, threatening to consume her. A familiar scent reached her nose, though it wasn't the exactly the same scent from her last dream, and she made her way towards the courtyard as she had done before.  
_**

_**There was no one here this time, no Naraku, no unknown person. As she silently walked the castle grounds, the scent became heavier, and she began to follow it. It lead her across grounds to the back of the castle where a low built stone building sat apart from the rest of the buildings. She approached the heavy wooden door, and with a great shove managed to open it.**_

**_Cautiously she stepped inside and looked around. The one room building was empty, except for a trap door that was partially hidden by a mat in the middle of the floor. She carefully pulled the mat aside and lifted the trap door, only to be hit with an overwhelming stench._**

_**She staggered back, clutching her hand over her sensitive nose and gagging. The familiar scent that she had been following now poured out of the hole in the ground, and mixed with it was the stench of wounds, death, and decay. Something within her reacted violently to scent, and her blood began to boil. I vicious snarl escaped her throat, and her vision clouded with red.**_

_**Something grabbed her arm, and she went into defense mode, swinging her arm to rid herself of the attacker's grip.**_

A loud crash awoke Sayomi, and she looked around in a panic, still defensive. She found Ginta slumped against the wall in front of her, blood dripping from his temple. Hakkaku and the pups stood motionless in the curtained entrance to her little room.

As she looked from Ginta's still figure to Hakkaku and the pups, her eyes widened in horror, and tears began to stream down her face. _What had she done?_

Hakkaku, who had been rigidly motionless until now, visibly relaxed and released his grip on the pups. Signaling to the pups that it was safe to move, he went to check on Ginta, who was moaning softly.

Sayomi looked at her pups who still stood motionless in the entrance. There was fear written in Asami and Tuskiko's eyes, and it tore at Sayomi's heart. A mother was supposed be the source of comfort and protection, not fear. She glanced at Kazuhiko, fearing she would see the same fear written in his eyes.

To her surprise, her son stood with one hand to his head and the other to his nose. After a moment he dropped his hands to his sides, but his face twisted into a look of deep thought and pondering. Slowly, but not fearfully, he walked over to Sayomi.

Being that she was still sitting on the ground, they were eye-level with each other, and he held her gaze with his own serious one.

"Momma, what was that smell?" His small voice had taken on a timbre beyond his years.

Sayomi stared at Kazu for moment, trying to understand his question. "What smell, Kazu?"

He seemed to think for a moment, struggling for a way to explain it to his mother.

"When you were growling in your sleep, before you threw Ginta against the wall, I could smell an awful smell coming from you. It was the same scent that I smell when I dream of the castle. It is kinda sweet at first, but then it becomes gross, and it comes from those wolves, the ones like us."

Sayomi's entire body when rigid. "You dream of a castle, Kazu? How come you have never told me this before? And what wolves?" Her head was spinning. Was it really possible that her son was sharing her dreams?

Kazu sighed and sat down beside his mother.

"Sometimes when I sleep I have a bad dream, and it's always of this big castle," he gestured with his little arms the size of the castle. "I feel like I have to go there, into the castle. Sometimes no one is there, momma. But sometimes there is a man. I don't like him, he makes me want to run. But the wolves are always there, momma. The black ones."

Sayomi sat forward and braced herself against the ground with her hands, trying to comprehend what her son was saying. She was certain that the dream that Kazuhiko was having was connected in someway to her own, and it angered her that her precious son was being plagued by such tainted and ominous dreams. She had never seen wolves in her dreams, not once. But Kazu said that they were _black_ wolves. The black wolves like _them_.

She tried to push the thoughts to the back of her mind. She would ponder them later. Right now she had to put on a brave face for her pups.

She smiled at Kazu, who still sat gazing at her seriously. "Kazu, it's just a dream, nothing more."

Her son nodded, but didn't seemed convinced. Sayomi gestured to her daughters to come, and they did so hesitantly. When they stood before her, she took both of their hands.

"Asami, Tsukiko... Never fear me. I love you, and I would never hurt you."

The girls looked nervously over at Ginta, who was just now starting to come around, and then back to their mother, and nodded.

"You scared us, mommy," Asami told her softly.

"Yeah, we thought a monster was attacking you in your dreams," Tsukiko added.

Sayomi laughed softly. "Oh girls, it was just a bad dream, and Ginta will be alright. I've beat him up worse before!"

The girls giggled, knowing their mother was right, and all fear dissipated from their eyes.

Sayomi glanced at Ginta, who was alert now, and swearing.

"Why don't you three go find Uncle Takehiko?" Sayomi suggested, wanting to talk to her comrades alone. Asami and Tsukiko both grinned and nodded before skipping off to find their mentor. Sayomi looked at Kazu, who was still sitting beside her, and gestured that he should go too. Reluctantly the pup stood and started to walk away. When he reached the curtain that lead out of the room, he stood and turned back to his mother.

"It wasn't a dream, momma." With that, he turned and left.

Sayomi was speechless for a moment, but shrugged it off quickly, and went to Ginta's side.

"Are you okay, brother?" Her voice was full of concern.

Ginta glared at her as he wiped the remaining blood from his already healing temple.

"I'll live," he told her. "But you gotta get those dreams of yours under control before you kill someone!"

She nodded, knowing he was right. But it wasn't really something that she could control.

"Ginta, Hakkaku... Did you smell a strange smell emanating from me while I was sleeping? Kazuhiko said that he smelt something."

They both shook their heads.

"Nope, didn't smell anything, sis. But Kazu was clutching his nose and looking like he was going to pass out," Hakkaku told her.

'Maybe it was because he is sharing my dreams. Maybe there is some sort of special link between us?' Sayomi was so confused.

"Anyway, what was so bad that you were snarling?" Hakkaku questioned.

Sayomi shook her head. "It was nothing. And I'd appreciate it if you don't say anything about this to Kouga."

The pair noted the serious tone in her voice and nodded. "We won't say a word, sis."


	4. Chapter 4: First Hunt

A/N: Okay, new chapter! If you are sensitive to fighting and what not, I apologize, but the pups first hunt takes place this chapter. Also, the Inu group is back, but they will not be taking over this story. But I want to give a little bit of insight to what's been going on with them as the years passed, and that information will be shared with you in this chapter and the next.

A big thanks to Daeth101- Fox version, Lady Rini, tsukiko008, and Toph-ums. Keep rocking those reviews!

And of course much love goes to KeikoHayasaka. I don't know where I would be without you. (Mushy, I know, but true all the same.)

Hitomi means "pupil (of the eye)." Its a name that is given to girls with unusually beautiful eyes.

* * *

Sayomi said nothing about her dream to Kouga when he returned, and surprisingly the pups seemed to have forgotten about the incident. Well, the girls seemed to have forgotten, but Kazu definitely hadn't. He would randomly come to Sayomi with questions about the dream, and each time she would tell him it was just a dream, but she knew that he never believed her. The dream came to her often now, but never as pronounced as it had before. And she never saw the wolves that her son spoke of.

Spring gave way to summer, summer gave way to fall, fall to winter, and winter to spring. The cycle went on and on, and suddenly it was the pups tenth birthday. Sayomi found herself somewhat overwhelmed by this event. Her pups were growing up so fast! Their tenth birthday also marked a special event, one that Sayomi and Kouga had spent so much time preparing them for. At their tenth year they would be allowed to hunt with the pack, and would also be allowed to go with Kouga on small demon exterminations. Sayomi's heart swelled with pride, knowing that her pups would excel in both areas.

Tears of pride filled her eyes as she watched Kouga fit the pups new armor on Asami, Tsukiko, and Kazuhiko. When Kouga had finished fitting the armor to each of their growing forms, Asami and Tsukiko gave a little twirl each, admiring their new protection. Kazuhiko puffed out his chest and strode over to Sayomi.

"I'm a warrior now, mother! Just like you!" He beat his chest with his fist in a show of bravado.

Sayomi laughed softly and patted her son on the head. "Not yet you aren't, Kazu. But you are well on your way to being one. And I'll bet you'll be one of the top warriors in the land when your time comes."

Kazu's eyes opened wide, astonished by the immense compliment that his mother had just bestowed upon him.

"You really think so, mother?"

"I know so," Sayomi replied, ruffling his hair. Kazu grinned, and darted over to his sisters.

Asami and Tsukiko stopped admiring their armor as Kazu approached, chest puffed out to the limit. Asami eyed her brother warily.

"What is it, Kazu?" she asked him, knowing he would just stand there until one of his sisters acknowledged him.

Pointing a thumb at himself he said, "Mother says that I'm gonna be a top warrior! The best in the land, just like her!"

Tsukiko rolled her eyes as she said, "And?"

Kazu grinned. "That means that you and Asami aren't gonna be top warriors!" He stuck his tongue out at his sisters.

Asami and Tsukiko looked at each other for a moment, conversing with their eyes. Suddenly they were both glaring at Kazuhiko. He knew that look, and took off at a full out run, his sisters hot on his heels.

Between the two of them they caught him easily as he reached the lakeside. Asami tackled his knees, bringing him down hard. She held him in a headlock, and Tsukiko was in front of him in an instant. She held a stick to his exposed throat like a dagger and said, "You're dead."

Asami released her brother and took her place by her sister's side as Kazu tried to catch his breath.

"Who's going to be the top warrior now, little brother?" Tsukiko asked him. The look of disdain and defeat written on Kazu's face sent Asami into a fit of laughter.

Kazuhiko pointed at Tsukiko and Asami accusingly. "You guys cheated! Two on one isn't fair!"

"Battle is never fair," Tsukiko said coolly, brushing her brothers accusation off as if it was nothing.

Kazuhiko was still trying to come up with a come back when their father's voice rang out from the den above.

"Asami, Tsukiko, Kazuhiko! Get your asses back up here!"

All three pups rushed back to the den, skidding to a halt before Kouga, who gave them a hard look in reprimand for taking off.

"Go and gather your weapons," he told them. "The hunting party will set out soon."

The pups nodded, and rushed back to their respective beds to grab the daggers that Takehiko had given them for their birthdays.

Each dagger's hilt was carved custom by Takehiko in reflection of each pup. Asami's dagger depicted the sun breaking over the horizon, Tuskiko's dagger depicted the full moon high above the land, and Kazuhiko's dagger depicted a regal looking black wolf.

Grabbing their daggers and sheathing them on their hips, the pups made their way to the den entrance, where their parents and the hunting party waited.

"Ah, it's been so long since I've been able to go on a hunt!" Sayomi exclaimed, stretching out her muscles in preparation. Kazuhiko immediately followed suit, wanting to be just like his warrior mother. Not wanting to be out done by their brother, Asami and Tsukiko did the same.

Kouga, who had been conversing with Ginta about their hunting plans, turned around just in time to see all of his pups imitating their mother, and chuckled. His laughter caught Sayomi's attention, and when she sent him a questioning look, he pointed to the scene behind her. She twisted around to see what was so funny, and immediately starting giggling herself. Asami, Tsukiko, and Kazuhiko were all stretching out, their young faces set in utter determination.

Sayomi let them go on for a few moments before clapping her hands to get their attention.

"Alright little ones, it's time to go."

Asami, Tsukiko, and Kazu rushed over to the waiting group of adults, eager to get going. Kouga had decided that hunting party would only consist of himself, Sayomi, Ginta, Hakkaku, Takehiko, and the pups, since it was the pups first time. He didn't want them to be overwhelmed by a full pack hunt.

Kouga lead them down to the lakeside and out towards the forest. Stopping at the edge of the trees he tilted his head back and drew a long breath through his nose, the pups following his cue.

"Do you smell that, kids?" he asked them.

They nodded in unison.

"Alright, who can tell me what and where it is?"

Asami piped up immediately. "It's a deer!"

Kouga nodded, and Tsukiko chirpped, "It's a large male, too!"

Kouga nodded again and looked to Kazuhiko, who turned and pointed east. "It's that way!"

Kouga sent up a howl, signaling the beginning of the hunt, and let the pups lead the way.

xxxxxx

The hunting party, having reached the field where their prey stood pulling up grass by the mouthfuls, crept through the tall grass, careful to keep low to the ground. When they got within thirty feet of the deer, Kouga signaled for them to stop, and he quickly assessed the situation.

Scenting the air, he detected that the deer was injured, probably from a duel with another male. Scanning his prey, he found the injury was on the back of the deers left leg, and would be a perfect weak spot. He knew his pups could take the deer down alone.

Turning to his children he whispered, "Alright, you three are going to take that deer down. Listen up now. Asami, you'll be running scare tactics. I want you to, when your sister is in position, to run up and startle the deer from the front. Try to get it to move backwards." Asami nodded seriously, and Kouga continued. "Tsukiko, I want you to position yourself behind the deer, and when your sister makes her move, cut his left hamstring to bring him down." Tsukiko nodded firmly, and took her sisters hand.

"What about me, dad?" Kazuhiko whispered eagerly. Kouga grinned.

"I want you to position yourself in front with Asami. This needs to be a smooth running operation. When Asami spooks the deer and Tsukiko hamstrings him, I want you to move in for the kill. It's not nice to let your prey suffer, so do it quickly, and go for the throat."

Kazu grinned and saluted his father, and Asami gave the signal to move out. As the pups maneuvered themselves into position, Sayomi leaned in close to Kouga, worry written all over her face.

"Kouga, do you really think we should let them do this on their own the first time? What if something goes wrong? They won't know how to compensate for the miscalculation, they could get hurt." Although she was whispering, her voice was strained.

Kouga took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "They will be fine, love. They are naturally gifted, and you know it. Besides, if anything goes wrong we'll step in. They'll be fine."

Sayomi nodded uneasily, and settled down to watch her pups in their first hunt.

The three were now positioned around the deer, hidden in the tall grass. Asami gave the signal to the other two, and leapt up in front of the deer, startling it. It gave a shriek and began to move backward as Asami pushed her way toward it. Tsukiko readied herself and drew her dagger, and when the deer came within a foot of her, she sliced through its hamstring, causing its leg to buckle as it shrieked again. Before it went down though, it gave one last kick with it's injured leg, sending Tsukiko flying backward several feet.

"Tsukiko!" Asami cried, rushing toward her sister. She found herself confronted by a pair of large antlers, and they blocked her path to Tsukiko. She drew her dagger and advance on the animal, but every time she swung she was blocked by the massive antlers.

"Kouga," Sayomi said frantically, "I think we should step in now!"

Kouga held her arm tight, not allowing her to move. "Not yet, Sayomi. Look, Tsukiko is fine," he motioned to the girl, who was now sitting up and rubbing her head, "And Asami and Kazu can hold their own. They need to learn that sometimes plans go wrong, and they must figure out how to fix them."

Just then Kazu, who had been pondering what to do, called out to Asami. "Asami! Do what you and Tsukiko do to me!"

Asami looked at him quizzically as she fended off another sweep of the deers antlers. Kazu wrapped his arm around his throat and made a strangling sound, and his words clicked in Asami's head. She motioned to Tsukiko, who had recovered and was advancing again, to come up from behind.

"Tsukiko, I'll keep him distracted. Do the Kazu headlock!"

Tsukiko nodded and advanced as Kazuhiko shot Asami a dirty look.

"What?! You guys actually _named_ it?!"

Asami ignored him in favor of watching Tsukiko. Her sister came silently up behind the animal and leapt onto its neck, wrapping her arms around its neck and pulling its head backward, exposing its throat.

Kazu saw his opportunity and drew his own dagger. He rushed the deer and slit its throat in one clean sweep. Within seconds the deer was dead.

Tsukiko let go of the animal and joined her brother and sister, and the three sent up a howl, signaling the hunt had been a success. Kouga, Sayomi, and the others all jumped up from their hiding spots and joined in the howl, pride written all over each of their faces.

The pups rushed over to Kouga and Sayomi, chattering excitedly as Ginta, Hakkaku, and Takehiko went to get the deer.

"Mom, mom!" Tsukiko cried excitedly. "Did you see that?!"

Sayomi nodded and hugged her daughters tight. "You all were amazing!" she praised.

Kazuhiko stood facing his father, chest puffed out. "I did it dad, just like you said."

Kouga tousled his son's hair. "Yes you did, Kazu. And that was some amazing thinking you did, coming up with a plan that quick. You did a great job."

Kazu's smile was a mile wide, so proud was he to have received praise from his father. Just then Ginta, Hakkaku, and Takehiko lifted the great weight of the deer onto their shoulders and signaled that they were ready to go. Kouga lifted a very happy Kazu to sit on his shoulders, and Sayomi and the girls lead the way back to the den to celebrate.

xxxxxx

Farther into the woods another party was making camp. A raven-haired girl in blue jeans and black tank-top was building a fire for dinner, all the while watched over by a silver-hair half demon in red.

"Kagome," the half demon whined, "Why the hell did you have to choose to make camp in _wolf_ territory?!"

Kagome smiled. "Inuyasha, you know better than anyone that camping here was a good idea. It's safe land. Kouga would never let any harm befall us."

Inuyasha flinched at the sound of Kouga's name, but said no more. Just then they were joined by several other people, completing their party. Among them was a demon slayer, a monk, a cat youkai, a young fox youkai, and a little girl.

"Jeeze, what took you guys so long Miroku?" Inuyasha demanded.

The monk sighed. "Sango, Shippo, and I had a little trouble with a certain little girl..." He eyed the girl next to him, who's black hair and clothes were still dripping wet. She gazed back at him with golden eyes that feigned a look of innocence.

"Hitomi..." Inuyasha growled. "What did you do this time?"

Inuyasha's daughter downcast her eyes, and dug her toe into the dirt, refusing to speak.

"While we were getting water, Hitomi decided to go for a little swim, clothes and all," Sango said as she handed the now filled water bottles to Kagome.

"Yeah," pipped Shippo, "And I had to go in and get her!"

Inuyasha noticed now that both his daughter and Shippo were soaked. Kagome groaned.

"Hitomi, what do you say to Shippo and the others?" she prodded.

Hitomi sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Sorry for being bad... again."

The group couldn't help but laugh at the depressed look that came over Hitomi's face, and she scowled.

Inuyasha sighed. "Come on, let's get you changed before dinner's ready." He took his daughter's hand and grabbed a pair of clothes before sending her behind some bushes to change. She changed quickly and went to her mother, handing Kagome her wet clothes. Kagome hang them over a low branch to dry, and called every one in for dinner.

After the meal was done, and Hitomi had fallen asleep, the group began to settle in for the night. As Inuyasha joined Kagome in her sleeping bag, he muttered, "Kagome, seriously, why did we have to stay in wolf territory?"

Kagome snuggled against Inuyasha's chest and yawned. "Because it's safe, and because I want to see Kouga."

Inuyasha's body tensed, and Kagome laughed softly.

"Oh, come on Inuyasha, that feud is so old. I'm with you, aren't I? I have a daughter with you, don't I?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Then why do you need to see him?" His words were growled through clenched teeth.

Kagome sighed, frustrated with his possessiveness. "Because he is my friend, and I haven't seen him since before I gave birth to Hitomi. It's been over ten years! Besides, Kouga deserves to know what we found out, if he doesn't already."

Inuyasha relaxed. As much as he detested the mangy wolf, he agreed that this new information was something that Kouga definitely needed to know.

"Alright, we'll go see him tomorrow," he told her.

"Thank you, Inuyasha..." Kagome whispered, before drifting off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Reunion

A/N: New chapter! Lots of background information in this one, and some new revelations. Read and enjoy!

A big, gigantic thank you to Lady Rini, Daeth101- Fox version, tsukiko008, Toph-ums, and Daisy19971.

Super special thanks goes to KeikoHayasaka and Night Neko-Jin. You two are seriously amazing!

* * *

The pack had spent the evening celebrating the pups first hunt; the members spent hours doting on the pups and praising their amazing kill. And even though the pups fell asleep early, the tribe didn't settle down to sleep until well after midnight.

Sayomi awoke the following morning in Kouga's arms. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she stretched and yawned, her movements waking Kouga, who, with a sigh stretched and sat up as well.

"Eh... Is it really morning already?" Kouga grumbled. Sayomi smiled and placed a kiss on his lips, which improved his mood considerably.

"Well good morning!" Kouga chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Sayomi and pulled her in close to nuzzle her neck. Sayomi giggled and wiggled her way out of his grasp. She was standing across the room in an instant, hand on her hip, eying her mate suggestively. She did a little twirl, and motioned with her finger for Kouga to come and get her.

Kouga grinned and stood casually as he watched Sayomi walk around him in a circle. Feigning boredom, he started for the door, and Sayomi stopped, disappointed. At that moment Kouga turned around and pounced her, both of them falling to the floor in laughter. Kouga kissed Sayomi passionately, his hand trailing down her body.

"Dad! Dad!" Kouga growled and rolled off of Sayomi to let her up. He glanced at her apologetically before calling out to his son.

"Kazu, come here!"

His son came bounding through the curtains and skidded to a stop in front of his father. He looked at him impatiently. "What is it, Kazu?"

"There are weird people here, they're asking for you." Kazu's face was full of excitement.

"Why didn't you have Ginta or Hakkaku meet them? They could be dangerous!" Kouga stood, face full of anger.

Kazu gulped. "They wouldn't wake up! Besides, it's just a bunch of humans and a half-demon. How dangerous could they be?" Kouga was just about school his son on how dangerous humans could be when Kazu's words sank in.

_A bunch of humans and a half-demon._

Kouga scented the air. There was no mistaking it, it was them alright.

Sayomi discretely scented the air herself, and felt her heart drop when she recognized the scents. Kouga was her mate, yes, but how would he react to having _her_ around again?

She was shaken from her thoughts when Kouga reached offered her his hand to help her up. She smiled at him and took it. Once she was standing she gave him a quick kiss.

"It's been awhile. Shall we go meet them, then?" she asked him, a forced smile on her face. Kouga nodded, and they headed to the den entrance.

xxxxxx

Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Hitomi approached the wolf den cautiously, Hitomi riding on her father's shoulders. It had been awhile since they had last been here, and they didn't want to just waltz right up to the den without giving the wolves time to react. They didn't want to be attacked.

Reaching the entrance at last they stood outside for a moment, waiting for someone to come forth from it's depths. After several moments of nothing, Inuyasha got impatient.

"Hey! Is anybody here?" he called out in annoyance.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded. "Sit!"

When her husband didn't face plant it in the dirt she grimaced, remembering that she had removed the submission rosary. "Why the hell did I ever do that?" She grumbled under her breath as Inuyasha glared at her in disbelief.

The sound of light footsteps approaching put them all on guard as they waited for who ever it was to show themselves. Suddenly a raven-haired little boy appeared, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"What's all the yelling about?" he said, yawning. When he opened his eyes to see who it was, Kagome gasped slightly.

_'What amazing eyes!' _she thought to herself as she took in the brilliantly deep purple of Kazuhiko's eyes.

Kazu eyed the strangers warily. "Who are you guys? What do you want?"

"We're here to see Kouga you runt," Inuyasha snapped. Kazu glared at him before retreating into the den. His parents had taught him not to disrespect his elders, but he definitely had a few words that he had picked up from his father running through his mind right then.

"Inuyasha, that was not nice at all!" Kagome yelled at him. "When he comes back you better apologize. He's just a kid! He doesn't deserve that!"

"Feh! Did you see the way he was looking at me?" Inuyasha complained.

"He was just being wary of strangers, just as he should be!"

Inuyasha knew he had overreacted, but he couldn't help it. The same blood that ran in Kouga's veins ran in that kids, and it put him on edge.

_'Well,'_ he thought,_ 'At least I know he's taken a mate, the kid is proof of that.'_

The thought that Kouga wouldn't be all over Kagome put his mind at ease somewhat. He took Hitomi from his shoulders and put her down, and she went to Kagome's side.

The group could here the boy calling out to his father from within the cave, as well as Kouga calling for him to come. It was silent for a few moments, and then there was the sound of mulitple footsteps approaching, and the kid, who's name they had learned from Kouga's call was Kazu, came running towards them, followed two full-grown figures.

Kouga stepped out of the cave into the sunlight, followed by a beautiful young woman, who held his hand. Kagome knew her somehow, but couldn't seemed to place her.

Kouga stepped forward and held out his hand to Inuyasha, who eyed it like a poisonous snake.

"What are you doing, you mangy wolf?" Inuyasha said, unsure of what to do.

Kouga's eyes narrowed at the name. "I am greeting you, you mutt. You are a guest on my land."

Inuyasha relaxed a bit and shook Kouga's hand quickly, not wanting to be in contact with his old revival for very long.

Kouga moved to Miroku and repeated the gesture while saying hello before moving on to Kagome and Sango.

"Kagome, Sango, how have you been?"

Both embraced the wolf prince and told him they had been well before he moved on to the next member of the group.

When he got to Shippo he almost laughed. The little fox wasn't so little anymore, and Kouga extended his hand to Shippo in a manly greeting, which seemed to please the kid.

Finally he came to Hitomi, and he smiled. Kneeling down before her he said, "And who is this little beauty?"

Hitomi blushed but said nothing, and Kagome laughed.

"Kouga, I'd like you to meet mine and Inuyasha's daughter, Hitomi."

Kouga smiled at the little girl again and gave her a pat on the head. "She's very beautiful, like her mother."

Kagome blushed, and both Inuyasha and Sayomi growled simultaneously.

Kouga stood back up and gulped, knowing he had just made a mistake. Before Sayomi could hit him he quickly introduced her.

"Um, I'd like to introduce you to my mate, Sayomi. You met her before when she was younger if I'm not mistaken." Kouga fidgeted nervously, hoping he had created enough of a distraction.

Kagome and Sango's jaws dropped. "Sayomi?!" they squealed simultaneously.

Sayomi took a nervous step backward, unsure of the women's enthusiasm. She had never really been around other females with the exception of her daughters, and she was unsure of how to act.

"No way!" exclaimed Kagome. "You mean this is that beautiful little girl from all those years ago?"

Sayomi felt her cheeks heat up slightly.

"Wow, she sure has grown up," Sango laughed.

"Yes, she most certainly has," chimed Miroku as he moved towards Sayomi. Kouga emmited a growl just as Sango's hand clenched into a fist, but Sayomi beat them to it. Just as Miroku made his attempt to caress the her, Sayomi's fist connected with his jaw. She had lessened the blow because he was human, but the resounding smack assured her that it hurt plenty.

Sango grinned at Sayomi and gave her a thumbs up. "And I see she hasn't lost her fiery spirit," she laughed to Kouga, who grinned and nodded.

Just then two little girls walked out of the den and went to Sayomi's side, gazing shyly at the strangers. Kazu joined his sisters and told them in whispers what was going on.

Sayomi smiled down and gestured at her children.

"I'd like to introduce you all to mine and Kouga's children. This is Kazuhiko, Asami, and Tsukiko," she told them, indicating to each child respectively.

"Oh, they're adorable!" Sango cooed. Sayomi smiled proudly before Kouga disrupted the whole mood.

"So what are you here for, Inuyasha?" Kouga asked, though not exactly friendly.

Inuyasha fought the urge to hurl insults at the wolf. "We have come into some very important information that we thought you should know, but I think it would be best to not discuss it around the kids."

Kouga noted the serious tone in Inuyasha's voice and nodded as he looked to Sayomi, who stepped in immediately.

"Well, it's a little late in the day for breakfast, but we just woke up, so how about you all join us for lunch? We have this amazing deer that the pups brought down yesterday." Her children beamed at her as she praised them to these strange people.

Kagome smiled and nodded. "That would be wonderful. I know I'm hungry, and I'm sure everyone else is, too."

Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Hitomi nodded in agreement, and Inuyasha tried to feign disinterest.

Asami and Tsukiko ran up to Hitomi, who stood slightly behind her mother.

"Let's go eat!" Tsukiko told her, gesturing for her to follow them back to the den.

"Yeah, and we'll tell you all about our hunt!" Asami said, grabbing Hitomi's hand.

Hitomi looked up at her mother who nodded her approval. With that the girls ran into the den giggling, Kazu looking after them in disgust.

"Girls..." he sighed, and the adults around him laughed.

"You have no idea. Just wait until you're older," Miroku told him. "That's when it gets really fun."

The group looked at the monk in disbelief, and Sango smacked Miroku, leaving him sprawled on the ground as the others retreated to the den for lunch.

xxxxxx

After they had eaten lunch and the pups and Hitomi, being full, had fallen asleep, the group lounged around just talking about the last few years of their lives.

Kagome sat with Hitomi's head in her lap, stroking her daughters hair. "So Kouga, Sayomi, what have you two been up to? I haven't seen you both for so long!"

Kouga smiled at Sayomi and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Well," he began, "We really haven't been up to very much. Sayomi and I became mates about ten years ago, and then not long after she gave me three beautiful and strong pups. We've been busy raising them since then."

Sayomi nodded in agreement. "They're all little terrors, but their good kids in the end."

Sango chuckled. "Well, seeing who their parents are I would expect anything less."

Kouga and Sayomi both grinned and laughed, knowing it was true.

"And what about you all?" Sayomi asked. "What have you guys been doing all these years?"

Kagome gestured to Inuyasha and said, "Well, about seven years ago Inuyasha and I married, and I gave birth to Hitomi about a year later. We've been living in Kaede's village, so I could stay close to the well. I'm accustomed to the modern era, and having access to disposable diapers and such sure made raising a baby a hell of a lot easier!"

Sayomi raised a questioning eyebrow. "Disposable diapers?"

Kagome laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot. A disposable diaper is made out of a soft kind of paper and cloth, so you can discard them after use instead of having to wash them out."

Sayomi's face lit up. "No way! I wish I had some of those for the pups when they were little. Changing three diapers gets old really fast."

The group laughed, and Sayomi gestured for Kagome to continue, and the miko's face grew sad.

"Kaede died a few years back, so other than raising Hitomi Inuyasha and I have been taking care of the village. I've become the village's high priestess."

Sayomi nodded solemly before turning to Sango, hoping to lighten the mood.. "What about you, Sango?"

Sango blushed and gestured to Miroku who sat beside her. "Miroku and I just got married last year, and we've been living in the village as well. After traveling together for so long, it was just unthinkable to be far apart. Besides, our task isn't done yet, we still haven't defeated Naraku and completed the jewel."

Inuyasha sat up straight. "Actually, that is why we came here to talk to you."

"What do you mean?" Kouga asked him, body tensing. Naraku had disappeared eight years before, taking the jewel shards with him, and if the bastard was back, something had to be done.

"A little over two weeks ago I was out on the land looking for Myoga, and I caught Naraku's scent. It was brief, but I know it was him. I don't know what he's up to, but if he's letting his scent leak from wherever he is hiding, then he he's got to be planning something."

Kouga pondered what Inuyasha had just said, and he felt Sayomi go rigid beside him. "What's wrong, love?" he asked her, concerned.

Sayomi shook her head. "It's nothing."

Kouga looked at her for a moment longer, and then turned back to Inuyasha. "Well, there's not much we can do if he's concealed himself again. I suggest that we just keep a look out, and if either of us gets a whiff of him we join up and go after him."

Inuyasha wanted to retort back that he didn't need any help, but he held his tongue and nodded. He really needed to get over the rivalry that no longer existed between himself and Kouga.

Kagome looked to the cave entrance and saw that the sun was nearing sunset, and decided it was time for them to go.

"It's starting to get late, we should be going."

Kouga and Sayomi nodded, and after Kagome had gathered the sleeping Hitomi in her arms, they escorted the group to the den entrance.

Sayomi hugged Sango and Kagome, and told them to visit anytime. "I really need some female companionship," she laughed. The two women agreed that they would visit again soon, and invited Sayomi to come to the village if she wanted.

Kouga shook hands with Inuyasha and thanked him for the information he had given him.

"It's nothing. We both have families to protect now, it's no longer the time for rivalries," Inuyasha told him. Kouga nodded.

Sayomi and Kouga stood on the cliff over the lake and watched as the group departed before heading back to the den.

xxxxxx

Hours later, just after Sayomi had gone to bed and fallen asleep, she began to dream again.

_**She stood outside the immense castle just as she always did, and she began making her way inside, already familiar with this routine. The familiar scent hit her nose once again, and she followed it to the castle court yard like always. **_

_**As she approached the court yard, the sound of a yelp stopped her in her tracks. She quickly pressed herself up against a wall and inched her way toward where the sound had come from. Coming to the end of the wall, she found herself about to enter the court yard, and she peered around the corner of the wall. She gasped.**_

_**Although she had never seen him, she knew who he was. The aura surrounding him was enough to convince her of that. It was Naraku. **_

**_He stood with his back to her, one spidery leg slashing at something before him, and whatever it was yelped in pain again. The sound of the cries brought forth some unknown instinct in her, and her blood grew hot. She felt her body start to tremble in rage._**

**_Suddenly Naraku ceased his attack. "That will teach you to disobey me," he said to the cowering figure before him. Giving his victim a final kick, he left._**

**_Sayomi looked around quickly, making sure that Naraku was really gone, and she sprinted over to the hunched form lying on the ground. The familiar scent that had been plaguing her dreams was coming from the figure before her, and she looked him over. He was wearing black furs, and his hair was black as night. She couldn't see his face though, because he hid it, trembling._**

_**She caught the scent again, this time from different direction. She watched silently was another man dressed in black furs approached and and shook the wounded one, who moaned in response. As she took in the new comers face, she shook her head in disbelief as a realization washed over her.**_

_**Black furs. Black hair. Pale skin. Purple eyes. Black wolves. Her kinsmen.**_

_**Kazuhiko had been telling the truth.**_

_**Sayomi jumped back in shock as the wounded one open his eyes and confirmed her thoughts. Suddenly the new comer looked up, directly at her, as if he could see her. **_

_**Stretching a hand out towards her, tears filling his eyes, he cried out, "Help us!"**_


	6. Chapter 6: Goodbye

A/N: New chapter! Yay! It's going to be kind of a heavy chapter though, so prepare yourselves now. There could be tears.

Thank you to my amazing reveiwers: tsukiko008, Daeth101 - Fox version, Lady Rini, and Toph-ums.

And once again a big, huge thanks goes to KeikoHayasaka and Night Neko-Jin.

You all rock!

* * *

Sayomi woke up violently, sweat pouring down her face, eyes wide in horror and shock. Her thrashing movements awoke Kouga, who now stared at her in concern. She sat panting and shaking, eyes moving frantically about.

Kouga, grabbing her by her arms, shook her roughly. "Sayomi! Sayomi, snap out of it!"

When she didn't respond, he grew apprehensive, shaking her all the more. Unable to break her out of her trance, he did the last thing he _ever_ wanted to do: He struck her across the face, tears springing into his eyes as he did.

Sayomi yelped as she returned to reality, raising her hand to touch her now stinging face. She looked at Kouga, unsure of what had just happened. The tears streaming down his face confirmed her suspicions.

"You... You... Hit me?" she whispered, unbelieving.

Kouga quickly swept her up in his arms, crushing her to himself, tears still falling.

"I had to, I had to," he told her frantically. "You were somewhere else, I couldn't get you to snap out of it. Seeing you like that terrified me!"

Sayomi nodded against his chest, understanding although she was still somewhat shocked. After several moments Kouga released her, and she sat before him, the horror still shining in her violet eyes.

"Sayomi? What's wrong, love?" Kouga asked, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to soothe her.

She leaned her head against his hand, finding comfort in his touch as she struggled to find words for what she had just witnessed. After what seemed like hours, she sighed and tried to explain.

"I've been having these dreams," she began quietly, "And in these dreams there is always this large castle, and this familiar scent. But I never find anyone there, and then I wake up."

Kouga pulled his hand from her hair in favor of stroking her face as he said, "Then what's there to be afraid of, love? If there's no one there, there should be nothing to fear."

Sayomi reached up and pulled Kouga's hand from her face and held it in her own. Catching his gaze with her own, she said, "This time was different. This time I found out who is there."

Kouga's face grew serious. "But Sayomi, even if it changed, it's still just a dream."

Sayomi's eyes narrowed. "It is _not_ a dream, Kouga. I can feel it in my heart, my soul, I know the truth. It was Naraku's castle, I saw him."

Kouga's eyes grew wide as he tried to comprehend the information that Sayomi had just relayed to him. '_If she's having dreams of Naraku and his castle, maybe she can find his location. We could finally get rid of that bastard once and for all.'_

"Sayomi, are you being serious?" Kouga asked her, already forming a strategy in his mind.

Sayomi nodded her head solemly. "Yes. But Kouga, there's is something else."

Kouga pulled himself from his planning and looked at his mate, sensing something was bothering her. Her tone had confirmed it.

"What is it Sayomi? You can tell me, you know that."

Sayomi nodded once again as she tried to find the will to speak.

"Kouga... Naraku... He has... He has enslaved my kinsmen. I saw it. _I saw the black wolves_."

Kouga gave her a grave look. "Love, your tribe has been dead for years. You are the last remaining survivor, it's not possible." He sighed, laying his plans aside. _'If her kinsmen have appeared in her dream, it must be just that: a dream. So much for killing Naraku.'_

Sayomi shook her head vigorously, jumping to her feet. "It is too! I know it, I saw!" She was growling now as she recalled her dream, the familiar fire beginning to once again heat her blood as it raced through her veins.

"There are other survivors, Kouga, and Naraku has enslaved them! I have to do something!"

Kouga stood and placed his hands on Sayomi's shoulders, trying to keep his mate from going beserk.

"Sayomi," he said firmly, "I saw them all slaughtered. They are dead. It was just a _dream_."

Kouga watched as defeat seeped into her eyes. "You don't believe me, do you?" she whispered, tears threatening to spill over.

Kouga sighed and took her in his arms again. "Oh honey, it's just not possible. I know it was a horrible dream, but it was just a dream. It was probably just because of the recent news of Naraku."

Kouga felt Sayomi slump against him, utterly defeated. She remained like that for awhile, thinking.

_'He doesn't believe me... Of course he wouldn't though, it's not like he had the dream and could feel the realness of it. And even if he did, would he even feel the pull that I do? Would he be able to recognize the people? No, they are not his pack, his connection with them is weak..." _

She sighed and felt Kouga tighten his grip on her.

_'Yes, just hold me for now my love. Because even if you don't believe me, and I don't hold it against you, I still have to do something. They are my kinsmen, my heart is one with theirs, just as it is one with yours. I would do the same for you, for Kazu, for Asami, and for Tsukiko. I would do the same for Ginta, for Hakkaku, and for Takehiko. Hell, I would do the same for any member of our pack. It comes down to simply that: I must do something.'_

Sayomi looked up at Kouga and gazed into his blue eyes momentarily before giving him a small smile. "You're right, love. It must have just been a bad dream."

xxxxxx

Sayomi carried on with life as normal for two weeks, pretending that nothing was wrong. She had even gone and visited Kagome and Sango at their village as she said she would. But even though everything seemed fine, her mind was constantly working, plotting out the course of action that she would take.

She sat now on a boulder beside the lake, watching her pups play. Kazu, Asami, and Tsukiko were playing hide-and-seek in the edge of the nearby forest, and Asami was it. Sayomi smiled as she watched Kazu and Tsukiko scramble to find hiding places as Asami began to count with her eyes closed, forehead against a tree.

Kazu found cover in a nearby bush, no more than two feet away from Asami. Sayomi laughed to herself. Kazu was famous for taking the easy route in this game. He would stay down wind of whoever was it and hide close by so that as soon as the 'it' person left to look for the hiders he could run out and claim safety.

Tsukiko on the other hand picked a nearly impossible spot in a tree, which she did often. And she often lost because of it. She couldn't get out of the tree and run to safety quick enough, and she would get caught.

Sayomi heard Asami call out, "Ready or not, here I come!" and watched as her predictions unfolded perfectly. Kazu waited until Asami had passed and ran to the tree she had been standing in front of previously, yelling, "SAFE!"

Asami turned around and stuck her tongue out at her brother before going to look for Tsukiko. Tsukiko waited until Asami had walked by before she attempted to climb down from the tree, but the scraping of flesh on bark alerted Asami, who spun around and tagged Tsukiko while she was still up in her perch.

"You're it!" Asami laughed as her sister scowled and climbed out of the tree.

"Fine," Tsukiko said unhappily before she took her place at the tree and began to count.

The cycle started all over again.

Sayomi smiled sadly as she watched her children play, knowing that this could very possibly be the last time that she saw them like this. She stood slowly and waded out into the water of the lake, enjoying the icy water on her warm skin. When she was far enough out she began to swim, lazily doing a few laps in an attempt to look casual.

Slowly she began swim toward the waterfall, and when she finally reached it she pulled herself onto the rock that rested beneath it, letting the water cascade down her back as she searched the cliff wall behind the falls. Finding the crevasse she reached in to make sure the bundle she had put there the night before was still there. It was.

She quickly went over her last minute preparations in her mind, and when she was finally satisfied that she had everything under control, she turned to hop off the rock and back into the water.

However, as she turned and saw the shoreline staring back at her, the memory of Kouga skidding to a stop and falling on the beach came to mind. That had been the first time Kouga had seen her intimately, and one of the starting points of their relationship.

She sighed and let her tears escape, knowing that the water from the falls would disguise them. _'This could very well be the last time I see Kouga, too.'_

The weight of her impending mission weighed heavily on her, but she knew that no matter what, it had to be done. The pups would be fine, they had their father, and they had their uncles. The pack would be all the family they would ever need if she did not return.

Kouga on the other hand... She sighed again. She knew that Kouga would be heartbroken, and he would probably have the whole pack out searching for her non-stop. But even if she didn't return, she knew he would be strong. He had the pups to care for, he couldn't let himself crumble.

She jumped into the waiting water and swam solemnly back to shore, preparing to say her goodbyes.

xxxxxx

"Ugh, I'm stuffed!" Kouga groaned as he finished of the leg of boar in his hand.

Sayomi laughed. "If you don't stop stuffing your face, love, you're going to get fat," she said teasingly.

Kouga chuckled and motioned her over for a kiss, which she happily obliged. After they had pulled apart he laughed and said, "That's fine with me. Then I can be fat _and _happy."

Sayomi forced a smile for his sake. _'I'm sorry, Kouga,' _she thought silently_, 'I hate that I will be the source of your unhappiness.'_

The pups, who had just finished their dinner, laughed hysterically at their father, and then Tsukiko yawned. Sayomi smiled, trying to etch these last few moments into her mind.

"All right sleepyheads, it's getting late, time for bed." She smiled at the groans of protest and ushered her pups to the back of the den and to their beds. They lay down without anymore protests, and Sayomi knelt and kissed them each on the forehead.

"Kazu, Asami, Tsukiko..." she said softly. Her pups opened their heavy eye lids and looked at her.

"What is it, mother?" Kazu asked with a yawn.

"I love you all, with all my heart. You all mean the world to me, never forget that." She forced her words to be light hearted for her children.

Tsukiko and Asami smiled briefly and said, "We love you too, mom," before easing into a peaceful sleep. Kazu, on the other hand, just stared at his mother, and Sayomi crawled over to his side.

"You're going, aren't you mother? You saw them, huh?" His face was dead serious as he gazed at her, purple eyes ablaze with intensity.

Sayomi said nothing, not knowing what to say. She simply sat there for several minutes, etching her sons face into her memory.

Finally, she stooped and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Kazuhiko, I love you. You will be prince of the Northern lands when you are older, but don't rub it your sister's faces. Be fair, be just. I know you will become a great leader, just like your father. Remember my words."

With that she stood and walked away, praying that Kazu wouldn't say anything. Not until she was long gone, at least.

As she approached the fireside Kouga stood and took her in his arms, and she fell into his embrace, never wanting to leave it. They stood, embracing each other for what seemed like eternity to Sayomi. She lifted her head from his chest to gaze into his blue eyes, and felt her resolve begin to weaken. She had to leave now, or she never would.

"I'm going to go for a run, love," she told him, as nonchalantly as she could possibly manage.

Kouga smiled. "I'll go with you. Don't want to be getting fat now," he said with a chuckle.

Sayomi tried to keep her urge to panic at bay.

"Not tonight, love," she insisted gently. "I need to clear my mind."

Kouga's face fell, but he nodded in understanding.

"Well then, I'll be waiting for you right here when you return," he told her, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her faces.

Sayomi felt her heart sink with those words, and she pressed her lips to his, fighting back tears.

Releasing him from the kiss several moments later she sprinted towards den entrance. She stopped as she reached it, and turned back to Kouga.

"I love you, Kouga, with my whole heart, with my whole soul. Forever."

Kouga looked confused for a moment, but then he smiled. "I love you, too, Sayomi. Forever."

Sayomi smiled and left the den, practically flying down to the lake. As quickly as she could she dove into the water and swam to the waterfall to retrieve her bundle. Finding it she grabbed it and same back to shore, careful to keep it out of sight should Kouga be watching her from the den. She took off in her normal direction, as if she was going to make a lap of the territory grounds.

She ran the territory border for five miles before she turned to cross it, and as her foot fell on foreign lands she stopped to gaze back in the direction she had come, a single tear running down her face.

"I love you all," she whispered. Allowing herself no more than a moment to mourn, she quickly set her determination and set off, not allowing herself to look back.


	7. Chapter 7: Unbreakable Bond

A/N: Ok, I know it's been a little while, and I thank you for being so patient, as my life has been a little hectic lately. This is another sad chapter, but we begin to see Kazu develop as a main character, although his sisters probably won't become leading ladies until the next story.

Thank you to my amazing reviewers: tsukiko008, Daeth101 - Fox version, Lady Rini, and Toph-ums.

And once again a big, huge thanks goes to KeikoHayasaka and Night Neko-Jin.

Honestly I don't know what I would do without you all.

* * *

Sayomi slowed to a light jog as she crossed over the tribe border and out of wolf territory, giving herself a chance to catch her breath. She had crossed the packs lands in a single night, and now as she stood doubled over panting she watched the sun rising out of the corner of her eye. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to block out all the emotions running through her as she focused on getting her breathing under control.

It went against her instincts, against every fiber of her being, to leave her tribe behind. To leave her _pups_ behind. It was just something that she was not supposed to do. The wolf in her told her to go home immediately, but at the same time it screamed at her that she was duty-bound to those wolves held captive by Naraku. She was, after all, the princess of the Northern Tribe. Her father had been the pack leader before his death, and therefore the rescue of her comrades fell to her not only because of her blood, but because she was the last free wolf of their tribe. She would rescue them, or die trying.

She allowed her sense of duty to fill her, and her breathing evened. She stood up straight, her shoulders taught and set with determination. Gathering the bundle that she had brought with her, she opened it to reveal her battle armor and several daggers. She quickly threw her armor on, reveling in it's feel. With the pups being young and needing constant attention, it had been a long while since she had seen battle or needed her armor.

She smiled as it slid into place around her, feeling as if she had just been reunited with an old friend. She watched the sun come fully over the horizon as she slid the daggers into holsters on each of her sides, three on one side, three on the other, six in total.

As she went to retrieve the cloth that had been wrapped around her belongings, a faint glimmer caught her eye.

'_That's odd, I don't remember putting anything else in my parcel.'_

She pushed the cloth aside to find an impressive katana within it's folds. The sheath was black and immaculately polished, and two royal purple tassels hung from the hilt of the sword. She gaped at it's beauty as she pondered where it had come from.

"Does some one know that I intended to leave and seek out Naraku?" she questioned out loud. If some one did know, it was not good. The whole tribe was probably hot on her heels if that was the case.

Suddenly the breeze shifted it's direction, blowing against the sword and bringing a familiar scent to her nose.

"Kazuhiko?" she gasped. She brought the sword closer and gave it a sniff, only to confirm her suspicions. Kazu had put the sword in her parcel, his scent coated the sword. The question was, where on earth did he get it?

She sat down, floored by this revelation, and tried to think back to the days before she had left the den. What had Kazu been doing that could explain this?

'_He had been spending a lot of time off by himself, but I thought that was just because he knew I was leaving. He felt it.'_

In fact, Kazu had been going off by himself pretty much everyday. Sayomi really hadn't thought much about it, he was old enough now to wander the lands, as long as he stayed in the tribe's borders. He liked to go to one of the nearby human villages and watch the people. He found them fascinating.

A bell rang in Sayomi's head as she realized where Kazu had gotten the sword.

The sword, though obviously of fine craftsmenship, was _human_ made.

He must have gotten it from the village he frequented. Tears formed in Sayomi's eyes as she clutched her son's farewell present to her chest, her fingers trailing up and down the polished wood of the sheath.

It was true that she loved all of her pups, but her and Kazu had a special bond. They shared the same soul, the same passion. Asami and Tsukiko were their father's daughters, but Kazuhiko was hers, and hers alone, and his gift to her touched her to her very core.

She wiped the tears from her face and stood, securing the sword at her side, her hand lingering on it's hilt. Kazu knew what she had to do. The same sense of duty flowed through him, and although he couldn't accompany her, her little warrior was always by her side, if only in spirit.

Her face set in determination as she set off again, heading in the direction of the morning sun, ready to tear the world apart to find Naraku if necessary.

xxxxxx

Kouga paced the den's entrance, waiting for Sayomi's return as the morning sun rose.

'_Damnit! Where is she? She's been gone all night!'_ His face was taught with worry. Sayomi had been quiet the last few days, melancholy almost. He hadn't bothered her about it, figuring that if she needed him she would come to him when she was ready.

'_Maybe she stopped somewhere to rest and fell asleep,' _he tried to reason with himself.

As the sun rose higher in the sky it's light fell across the den, illuminating it in shades of gold and brown. Kouga's pacing was interrupted by the sound of small footsteps approaching. Turning in the direction of the sound he found Kazuhiko walking toward him, rubbing the sleep from his small eyes.

"Morning sleepyhead," Kouga said smiling, although it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Kazu yawned and stretched, then turned his attention to his father.

"What's wrong, dad?" he asked, his face serious as he searched Kouga's eyes for an explanation.

Kouga shook his head, trying to keep his smile in place. "Nothing is wrong, Kazu. I'm just waiting for your mother to get back." He turned his head to look out the entrance, scanning the area for any signs of his mate.

"She's not coming back."

Kouga whipped his head back around to look at his son quizzically.

"What do you mean? Of course she is. Don't be silly," Kouga told his son.

Kazu shook his head sadly. "No, she isn't. She's gone."

Kouga knelt before his son, his face serious.

"Kazu, is there something that I should know?" he asked him quietly.

Kazu just looked him directly in the eye and repeated, "She's not coming back."

Kouga sighed, exasperated. "How do you know that, Kazhiko? Did she tell you that?"

Kazu shook his head. His mother had never _told_ him that she was leaving, but he knew. So he wasn't really lying when he said no, right?

Kouga stood and stalked over to where Ginta, Hakkaku, and Takehiko were sleeping, and shook them each roughly. When they just rolled over and went back to sleep he lost it.

"GET YOUR SORRY ASSES UP!" he roared.

The three were immediately awake and standing at attention, along with the rest of the tribe.

"Kouga?" Takehiko ventured tentatively. "What's wrong?"

Kouga glared at no one in particular. "Sayomi hasn't returned from her run last night. Divide the tribe and find her!" he hissed.

Takehiko nodded, and signaled for the other two to start creating search parties. He placed his hand on Kouga's shoulder.

"Kouga, I'm sure she's fine. I mean, this is Sayomi we're talking about. She can handle herself. She's probably just wandering the lands."

Kouga just nodded, saying nothing.

xxxxxx

The pack searched every corner of the lands, but turned up nothing. Hakkaku had caught Sayomi's scent near the Northwestern border, but it was faint and ended at the border. When he reported this to Kouga, Kouga went rigid, but said nothing.

He recalled the packs, and headed back to the den where his pups waited for news of their mother. Well, Asami and Tsukiko waited for news. Kazu already knew.

Kouga wasn't sure of how Kazu had known that his mother had left, but he didn't really want to question it. Sayomi and Kazu had always shared a special bond, and he had always assumed that it was because Kazu seemed to share more of the Northern bloodline than the Eastern, and that it linked them.

He steeled himself as he entered the den, not quite sure of how to broach the subject of Sayomi's absence and tell his pups.

Asami, Tsukiko, and Kazu all sat on their beds, waiting expectantly. Kouga took a seat before them, and drew in a breath, prepared to tell his pups that their mother was gone.

Asami beat him to it.

"Daddy, mom's gone, isn't she? Kazu said she was..."

Kouga froze for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, your mother is gone kids. I don't know where or why, but she is gone." His voice was soft as he said this, the reality of it all finally hitting him.

Tsukiko sniffed, fighting back tears. "But she'll be back, right daddy?"

Kouga shook his head uncertainly. "I don't know, sweetie."

Tsukiko and Asami took each others hands as silent tears slid down their faces, and Kouga moved to embrace them. As he held the now sobbing pair, his eyes sought out Kazu, who sat motionless a few feet away, watching the scene. Slowly he brought his eyes up to meet his father's, and Kouga wasn't sure that he liked what he saw.

Kazu's purple eyes were tearless and hard, his face serious. He held Kouga's gaze for a moment before standing and heading out of the cave, leaving Kouga and his sisters behind, his father utterly bewildered.

xxxxxx

Kazu left the cave quickly, and headed up to the cliff that looked over the lake below the den. Sitting on it's edge he let out a long sigh. The sun was setting, and a single tear slid down his cheek as he remember how he and his mother had often sat in this very spot, watching the sun set together.

'_I wish I could tell them everything,'_ he thought sadly,_ 'But mother wouldn't want me to, she would want me to stay quiet so that dad and my sister's stay out of harm's way. I won't go against her wishes.'_

He wished he could have gone with her, but he knew that he would have only gotten in the way, he wasn't strong enough to be helpful to her. But he had sent something with her to aide her in her quest, and he hoped that for now it would be enough.

As he stared at the setting sun, his eyes hardened in determination.

'_I want to help her, but I'm too weak. I want to help the others, but I'm too weak,'_ he thought. '_But if I get stronger, I can go to her, I can help her, and then she and the wolves can come home, and everyone will be happy.'_

He vowed then and there that he would become a strong and fierce warrior, and that he would would find his mother and help her slay Naraku and free their people. No matter what the cost, by his sixteenth birthday, he would do it.

As twilight set in Kazu turned his gaze to the mood, a vision of his mother playing across it's white surface.

'_Wait for me, mother. Wait for me.'_


	8. Chapter 8: Sensei

A/N: New chapter! This chapter is focused on Kazu, so we'll get a bit more insight as to what he's thinking. He will probably be the center of attention for the next few chapters, but I will return to Sayomi and the others, so don't panic.

Satoru means "enlightened."

A big thank you to all my loyal reviewers: Lady Rini, tsukiko008, Daeth101-Fox version, and Daisy 19971.

And much love to KeikoHayasaka and Night Neko-Jin. You two are AMAZING!

* * *

His mother had been gone for over a month now, and he was still as determined as ever to live up to his promise to himself. Not that it was going to be easy.

With Sayomi gone Kouga had become over protective of his pups, watching their every move and demanding that they always have an adult with them when they were outside of the den. Asami and Tsukiko didn't seem to really mind, but then again his sisters weren't going to be doing anything that their father would disapprove of.

Kazu thought about this as he lazily swam laps around the lake, Ginta's ever watchful eye trained on him. Turning over on his back to float on the water's surface, he sighed.

'_I need to get free of everyone!' _he growled inwardly. '_Being watched over like this is getting in the way of my plans!'_

In all honesty, it wouldn't have been so bad, and his plans wouldn't have been hampered at all by this, except for the fact that Kouga, in his over protectiveness, had also ordered that the pups training be put on hold until they were older. And that had seriously pissed him off.

Kazu had never been mouthy with his father before, but boy, he sure had had a few things to say to his father when he found out about that! He'd even thrown in a few colorful words that he had heard Kouga use from time to time.

He had expected to have a beating coming his way for his disrespect, but Kouga had simply stood there, eyes wide and apparently unbelieving of what he had just heard. Kazu had used that time to slip away before his father could come to his senses.

Kazu began to swim slowly back to shore, still lost in his thoughts.

He frequently went to visit a nearby human village, and although at first they had feared him because of his demon blood, they, over time, came to accept his presence there, even if they didn't really accept him.

It was there that he had befriended a retired warrior who had turned to making swords when his glory days in battled had ended. Unlike the other villagers, the old man had accepted him completely. He often told him stories of his past battles, and how he had even fought side by side with demons in some of them. Kazu loved his stories, and came to visit as often as he possibly could.

Once he had realized that his mother was leaving, Kazu had gone to the old man and commissioned a sword to be made for her, in exchange for Kazu's help in the man's little shop. He worked hard everyday, cleaning and helping the old man with whatever needed to be done, and he was repaid with an excellent katana. Kazu had slipped it into his mother's belongs before she had left, proud that he had given her a gift that was worthy of her battle prowess.

As Kazu walked out of the water and onto the beach, shaking the water off him as he went, he thought now of his plan to gain the strength that he needed.

Since Kouga had forbidden that the pups training be continued until they came of age, Kazu would seek out the only other person that could help him, but that would require escaping his pack members so that he could go the human village. No pack member would defy Kouga's orders and continue with the pup's training because one never disobeyed their alpha, but a _human_ wasn't part of the pack hierarchy, and therefore not bound to their rules. And Kazu happened to know just the person to train with.

Kazu stopped and eyed Ginta warily. The guard was lounging on a nearby boulder, eyes closed. Kazu waited for Ginta to get up and follow him back to the den, but when Ginta didn't move, Kazu saw his opportunity.

Quickly tip-toeing his way over to Ginta, he found that the guard was fast asleep, and Kazu thanked the Kami for this chance. He back away from Ginta quietly so as not to wake him, and darted off in the direction of the village.

He didn't get more than one hundred yards before something snagged him from behind, yanking him backwards so that he fell to the ground.

Rubbing his backside and and groaning, Kazu looked up at the figure now standing over him.

"And just where do you think you're going, Mister?" Takehiko demanded, glowering down at the pup.

Kazu winced and cursed inwardly at being caught. He quickly plastered the most innocent expression he could on his face and said, "Jeeze, you sure came out of nowhere, huh?" He grumbled before quickly correting himself. "I was _just_ going for a run..."

Takehiko sighed and pulled the boy to his feet.

"Kazu, you know I don't like keeping you here anymore than you like _being_ kept here. But it's your father's orders."

Kazu frowned up at his pack mate. "What he doesn't know can't hurt him," he muttered.

Takehiko ruffled Kazu's hair. "I know, I know. But your father's done a lot for me, and I'm not going to turn my back on him now. So let's go back to the den, shall we?"

Kazu felt the urge to pout and throw a tantrum like he usually did, but he curbed himself before he could. Such conduct was not becoming of a warrior, and he would not allow himself such bad habits when he had a job to do.

Instead, he steeled his shoulders and narrowed his eyes, letting Takehiko lead him back to what he now considered his prison.

xxxxxx

It had been a few days since his failed attempt to escape, and Kazu now lay wide awake on his bed, listening to the snores of the sleeping pack around him. He couldn't for the life of him manage to fall asleep. Sighing he sat up and made his way to the mouth of the den. He stood watching the waterfall cascading down in front of him and listening to the sounds of the night for several moments, hoping it would help him relax. When it failed to do so, he walked up to the cliff above the lake and sat looking out at the land before him, seeking an outlet for his energy.

He sat there for some while before finally standing with a frustrated sigh and returning to the den. As he entered the den, he mentally noted that not a soul had stirred in his absence. He started towards his bed and then froze, his previous thought having fully sunk in.

_No one had known he had been gone._

He glanced around him once more to confirm his thoughts before slipping silently out of the den once more. Once free of his home, he quickly made his way down to the lake. Stopping by the water's edge, he glanced back over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming to retrieve him. Finally sure that he was free, he made a mad dash for the trees and towards the village, grinning wildly.

He reached the village in no time at all, and slowed to a walk so as not to wake the villagers from their slumber. Making his way to the hut on the outskirts of the village, he knocked gently on the door frame, and waited. After a few moments of no response, he knocked a little louder and called out softly, "Satoru? Satoru, are you there? It's me, Kazu."

There was the sound of movement with in the hut, and suddenly the bamboo curtain flew back.

"Kazu my boy!" Satoru boomed as he claimed Kazu in a bear hug. "I thought that you had forgotten me!"

Kazu winced at the loudness of the old mans voice. For a human that was pushing sixty, Satoru certainly hadn't lost his youthful exuberance. Or his voice.

Once Satoru had released Kazu from his grip, Kazu looked him over quickly. Satoru was tall for a human, probably about six foot. His shoulders were broad, and despite his age, still well muscled. His hair was gray and bald on top, the rest pulled up at the back of his head. His clothes were simple, like most of the villagers. But despite his normal appearance, Kazu knew that this man was a warrior through and through, and the perfect person to take up his training.

Kazu grinned at his friend and asked, "Can we go inside to talk? I have come to you with much urgency."

Satoru's happy face immediately grew serious, and he motioned the little boy inside.

"Have a seat, my boy. Have a seat."

Kazu sat down on one of the mats that littered the familiar floor, and Satoru took a seat in front of him.

"Now, what brings you here in the middle of the night with such urgency?" Satoru asked quietly.

Kazu fidgeted for a moment, unsure of whether to tell the old man the whole story or not. Deciding that the truth would be the best, he relayed everything that had happened in the last month: his mother's departure, his father's search, the guards placed with the pups, and finally the abolishment of his training.

As Kazu ended his story, he was pleased to see that the last bit of information seemed to have shocked Satoru. They sat in silence for a few moments before Satoru finally roared, "HE STOPPED YOUR TRAINING?! A WARRIORS TRAINING SHOULD NEVER BE INTERFERED WITH!!"

The old man was so loud Kazu had to cover his ears, and the nearest neighbor yelled for Satoru to shut up and go to sleep.

Once Satoru had settled back down, Kazu started again.

"Well, that's why I've come here, Satoru. I would like you to take up my training. I'll do whatever you want in exchange, but I _must_ continue my training no matter what."

Satoru sat silently for a moment. "So tell me, little one, why is it so important for you to continue training? I don't just train anyone, you know."

Kazu sighed. "I told you why my mother left. I want to be able to aid my mother in her quest, and to aide my kinsmen as well. It is my duty."

Satoru nodded. "To do one's duty is the highest priority and honor."

Kazu nodded in agreement, and the two fell into silence once more.

After what seemed like hours to Kazu, Satoru cleared his throat.

"I will train you, my boy, for your reason's are honest and true. I will teach you the ways of humans, and because I have learned the ways of demons through battle, I shall train you in their way as well. But I will not be easy on you, young one. You must learn the way of the warrior if you want to become strong enough to aid your mother. When I get done with you, you shall have no weakness."

Kazu beamed at the old man. He quickly stood and bowed. "Thank you, Sensei."

Satoru nodded and smiled. "You will come to me each night, and we will train by the moonlight. I will make you a warrior that your mother can be proud to fight beside. Now go home and get some rest, because tomorrow night we begin."

Kazu nodded and bowed once more before he left the hut, his shoulders set as he gazed up at the moon and ran home.

xxxxxx

Kazu lay once again on his bed, wide awake. But this time it was because he was waiting for the opportune moment to sneak out of the den and run off to Satoru's hut.

He listened to the breathing of the pack around him, searching for anyone who was still awake, but found none. He got up and left the cave quietly, and ran the entire way to Satoru's. When he got there he paused outside the hut for a moment to catch his breath. Bending over with his hands on his knees he panted heavily for several moments.

Suddenly he felt a cool, sharp object at his throat and realized it was a sword. He froze instantly, not even daring to breathe.

"Lesson number one, my boy: Never let your guard down for even an instant."

Kazu felt the sword leave his throat and he let out the breathe he had been holding, collapsing on the ground.

Satoru chuckled and used his foot to roll Kazu over onto his back. Bending over the wolf pup, he grinned. "I told you that I wouldn't go easy on you."

Kazu nodded as his heartbeat returned to normal, and Satoru helped him to his feet.

Sheathing his sword, Satoru motioned for Kazu to follow him into the surrounding forest. After leading him for some distance, he stopped before a large mountain and turned to Kazu.

"Seeing as the little run from your den to my hut took so much out of you, we're going to start with building up your strength and endurance."

Kazu groaned. "But Sensei, I need to know how to fight, not how to run!"

Satoru chuckled. "My boy, half the fight is being able to evade your enemy, and be able to do so for long periods of time. Until I am satisfied that you are up to par with this, the actual fighting will be put on hold."

Kazu groaned again, but nodded.

"Alright. I want you to do five laps around this mountain. Do not stop for anything. Keep your pace, do not waiver."

Kazu looked at the massive size of the mountain before him and nearly fainted. Reminding himself that he was doing this for his mother, and that Satoru knew best, he steeled himself and took off, groaning all the while inwardly.

xxxxxx

Kazu collapsed on his bed as the sun was breaking the horizon, wincing as his sore body fell against the ground.

After running the five laps that Satoru had comanded, he had dropped at his Sensei's feet, completely sure that he would never be able to move again. Satoru had given him some time to recover, and then had ordered another five laps. Kazu had almost cried.

Although he wasn't sure how, he finally managed to comply with his Sensei's wishes and completed the next five laps. He thought he had finally escaped Satoru's wrath when he was told that his training was done for the night and he could go home, but no such luck. Satoru had ordered him to run the distance back to the den.

Kazu had found that after being so worn down and having been running for so long, that the run home was almost natural. The screaming in his muscles had subsided, and he completed the trip with ease. Once he had stopped running though...

Kazu groaned aloud as he massaged his muscles. Now that they were cooling down the ache was coming back, and he was not enjoying it in the least.

He rolled over on his bed, trying to find a comfortable position, but his aching muscles wouldn't allow it. He growled in annoyance, but the thought of his mother washed over him and he began to relax. Drifting off to sleep, his last thoughts were, '_I'll be at your side soon, mother. You'll be proud of me.'_


	9. Chapter 9: Jiro

A/N: Yet another chapter! I think I'm going to try alternating every other chapter between Sayomi and Kazu, and still try to get in a chapter about the others every so often. I just have so much to write about and it's driving me crazy!

Thanks yet again to my loyal reviewers: Lady Rini, Daeth101- Fox version, and tsukiko008.

And to my newest reader Lady La-sara. I was in a bit of a slump, and your review gave me the boost I needed!

Night Neko-Jin... You're amazing as usual.

Oh, and KeikoHayasaka... Don't worry so much! lol. Love ya!

Jiro means "second son." Since this character will not be seen again and has little impact on the story, I'm not going to give him a name of consequence.

* * *

Sayomi walked silently through the thick forest, seemingly headed no where. She stopped abruptly and settled down under a tree, pulling her pack from her back and rummaging through it looking for food. Finding it empty, she sighed and dropped the pack beside her on the ground, leaning back against the tree.

'_I'm going to have to stop and hunt again,'_ she thought with a sigh. '_More time lost._'

It had been a little over two years since she had left her mate and her pups behind to fulfill her duty to her kinsmen, and she still didn't have the slightest lead on Naraku's whereabouts. She had gone north and crossed half of Japan in her attempt to find him, but was still at square one.

Her shoulders slumped as she thought about ending her quest then and now, and returning home to her family. She missed them terribly, and she felt so horrible about the way she had left them. They must have been so lost and confused when they realized that she wasn't going to come back. She knew that she was bound by blood to aid her kinsmen, but her heart wanted to be back in the Eastern lands where it belonged.

She brought a hand to her forehead to push back a few stray hairs that had fallen across her face, and then let it fall back to her side, where it landed on the hilt of her katana. Unsheathing the sword she examined the blade in the afternoon light, her thoughts immediately going to Kazu, her brave little warrior. Well, he wouldn't be so little anymore. But he had known what she had to do, and he understood completely.

As she watched the light play across her sword, her resolve slowly returned.

"I have to go on, no matter what. I am bound by blood and honor," she said to no one in particular.

She sheathed her katana and stood slowly, stretching as she did so. She set off at a fast walk, determination once again in her eyes.

She was soon clear of the surrounding forest, and she found herself on the edge of a small valley. From her high position she could see there was a village at its center. Lifting her nose to the air her smooth face crumpled into a grimace.

'_A human village,'_ she thought dryly.

She really had nothing against humans, but she had made it a point to stop at every village she passed so as not to miss _any_ possible information, whether it came from humans or demons, and humans never gave her a very warm welcome. In fact, the people in the last human village she had stopped at had sent a priest after her to try to purify her! She hadn't done anything wrong, and they had attacked her anyway.

With a 'hmph' she set off down into the valley, not happy about the task at hand. She only hoped that there were no monks nearby.

It didn't take her long to reach the outskirts of the village, and she practically held her breath as she tried to walk casually through the fields that surrounded the town. To her surprise one of the villagers working in the fields turned and smiled at her, and another waved in greeting.

She cocked an eyebrow and stood frozen for a moment in shock. She didn't even know how to responded to that. After a few moments she gave them a weak grin, which seemed to suffice, since they returned to their work after that. She let out a sigh, glad that they hadn't run screaming, even though she didn't understand why. She couldn't have been mistaken as a human, there was just no possible way.

'_Seriously, if the clothes and armor didn't give me away, then I would think that the ears, fangs, and tail would!'_

She continued onward cautiously into the village, each of the people she came upon greeting her as if they knew her well. She put the matter out of her mind for the time being. As long as they were being nice she wasn't going to question it.

As she rounded a corner she came upon the village square, and found just the kind of person she was looking for.

He was leaning casually against one of the huts that lined the square, hands in this haori, with a large hat that covered his downcast face. To anyone else he might have seemed like an ordinary villager taking a break from the days work. But Sayomi knew better. She could tell by his stance alone that he was a soldier. Whether he was in the past or was presently she did not know, but it didn't matter. If anyone had any information about Naraku, it would be him.

She studied him for several moments from her place across the square. As if he knew that she was watching, he lifted his head so that his gaze met hers, telling her with hard brown eyes that he knew that she was there. Figuring that there was no sense in waiting if he was aware of her presence, she slowly walked across the square and came to a stop a few feet in front of him.

Eying her warily, he asked, "What can I do for you, Miss?"

His voice was gruff, but his words were genuine and kind, and Sayomi liked him immediately.

"I'm am searching for someone, and I was wondering if you could help me out," she asked tentatively, trying to convey to him that this subject was one that she would rather discuss privately.

Lucky for her he got the hint right away, and drew back the door covering to the hut they stood outside of.

"Please, why don't we go inside and discuss this further over a cup of tea?" he said, motioning for her to enter.

She smiled sweetly and stepped inside. The hut was sparse, with only a bed roll, a fire, and a few other items scattered about the room. But in one corner stood a finely made sword, it's scabbard freshly polished. Oh yes, she had chosen her informer well. He would no doubt stand by a warriors code of honor and would impart to her any information he had.

The man motioned for her to sit wherever, and once she picked a spot on the floor, he sat down in front of her.

"Now, what do you want?" he asked, his voice tense. "If you're looking to for a man for hire, I'm retired."

Sayomi laughed at the thought of needing a hit man. No hit man was going to be able to bring down Naraku. Not in a million years.

Chuckling she said, "No, no. Nothing of the sort. I'm searching information on the whereabouts of a certain demon, and I was wondering if you could be of assistance."

The man just nodded slowly, waiting for her to continue.

Sayomi eyed him for several moments, puzzled by his acceptance of her. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "Don't you realize that I am a demon?" she blurted out. "What is with this village?"

Realizing what she had just said she groaned inwardly hoping she hadn't just brought an attack on herself. Maybe the people in this village really _didn't_ realize what she was, and she just blown her cover!

The man before her laughed softly. "Of course I know you're a demon. Anyone with eyes can see that! But this village has long had an alliance with the demons in the surrounding areas. We have no reason to fear your kind."

Sayomi had never heard of an alliance between humans and demons, and her curiosity got the better of her.

"How did this come to be?"

The man grinned. "Well, how about we start of with names, huh? My name is Jiro. You are...?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! My name is Sayomi, I'm of the Eastern wolf tribe."

Jiro only nodded. "Well, Sayomi, it was over a hundred years ago that the people in this village came to an agreement with the demons of the surrounding area. The lands that surround the village were dying, but the village's land remained healthy, due to a monk that resided here. He purified the sickness from our lands, allowing the village to continue thriving. The demons on the other hand were struggling to survive in the dying lands, and took to raiding the village for food, which included hunting humans."

Jiro stopped and shook his head sadly before continuing.

"Finally, after the village had lost over half it's people, the village elders sent the monk to make a treaty with the demons. The villagers would provide the demons with the rations that they needed, but in return they wanted the demons to protect the village from any and all harm. The demons, desperate, agreed, and that is how the alliance was formed. Over the years the people and the demons have come to know each other, and the demons are now welcome within the village, which is why you were not attacked upon your arrival."

Sayomi pondered the story. Although the circumstances that lead to the agreement were unpleasant, the end result had been one for the greater good.

'_Perhaps when I return I should talk to Kouga about the possibility of a treaty with the neighboring villages. It would cut down the hostility the humans have for us, and open up the possibility of trading.'_

Sayomi laughed at the thought. _'Of course, Kazu's attraction to the villages might already have laid the ground work for such a treaty!'_

A low whistle brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked questioningly at Jiro. "Yes?"

Jiro shook his head in amusement. "I was saying that we should get back to business. Who is it that you are searching for?"

Sayomi took a deep breath before replying, "I am searching for the half-demon Naraku."

Sayomi waited for Jiro's reaction, curious to see if he recognized the name. By the look of things, he did.

Jiro's face had turned a dark shade of red, and his eyes had narrowed considerably. She could feel the waves of anger rolling off him. Finally, she was getting somewhere.

"Jiro?" she asked softly. "Are you okay?"

Jiro sputtered for a moment before he ground out, "Tell me now: Do you seek to aid him, or destroy him?"

"I seek to tear him to shreds!" she hissed, offended by even the suggestion that she might aid the monster.

Her answer seemed to calm him, and she watched as he visibly relaxed. Forcing herself to do the same, she waited for him to say something.

"I know not where Naraku is," Jiro began. "But since you seek to destroy that vile fiend, I will impart to you all the information I have."

Sayomi wanted to leap for joy. She finally had a lead! Forcing herself to stay composed she said, "Tell me what you know."

Jiro leaned back against the wall behind him with a sigh. "It's not much, but I have heard that Naraku has a castle, somewhere in a hidden valley. All that I know is that rumor has it the it lies to the southwest, at the other end of Japan."

Sayomi groaned. All this time and she had been heading in the wrong direction. _Great._

"Is that everything?" she asked him as she stood.

He nodded. "That is all I know. I hope it will aid you in your quest."

Sayomi nodded and turned to leave. Stopping in the door way she looked back at him.

"Jiro, why do you wield such a hatred for Naraku?" she asked.

"I am not originally from here, Sayomi. I come from a village further North, a village that was destroyed by Naraku. I was the only survivor, only because I was at war at the time. He killed my friends. _He killed my family_."

Sayomi nodded in understanding. "Then, Jiro, I will exact vengeance on your behalf. When I find Naraku, I will send him to the fiery pits of hell!"

Jiro smiled half-heartedly. "Thank you, Sayomi."

Without another word she turned and left, making her way out of the village, ignoring the waves of the villagers. As she climbed out of the valley she thought of the destruction and pain that Naraku had caused through out the years, and her blood boiled. She would make sure that Naraku died a very slow and painful death.


	10. Chapter 10: Trouble Comes in Threes

A/N: So since it took me so long to post another chapter, I figured I'd reward your guys patience and write a super-duper long chapter, and then rush it to you! Don't you love me?

So there's a bit of bad language in this chapter. The pups really do have bad mouths, I think they get it from Kouga. Although Sayomi does a bit of swearing herself...

Thanks you to my loyal reviewers: Keiko Hayasaka, Night-Neko Jin, Lady Rini, Daeth101- Fox version, tsukiko008, and Lady La-sara.

* * *

Kazu was lazily running his twentieth lap around that blasted mountain his teacher so adored. After two years of running around it every single night, running had become second nature to him. His body no longer hurt after training, and he could run non-stop around the stupid hill all night without breaking a sweat.

As he neared the place where his teacher awaited him, he thought back on last couple years of his life. It had been pretty much uneventful, even his twelfth birthday a few months back had been dull. The only time life had gotten even slightly exciting was when Kouga was yelling at him, but that had stopped over a year ago.

With Kazu doing all his training at night, he had been sleeping most of the day, which set Kouga off that something wasn't right. Kouga constantly questioned him as to why he spent all his time sleeping, but Kazu never answered him. In fact, Kazu had pretty much ceased talking to his father or the other adults at all to insure that his training remained unknown.

Ignoring Kouga had done the trick for awhile, but then his father had resorted to yelling at him, at which point Kazu had never been more thankful to his teacher for making him run. He simply darted out of the cave and out ran Kouga and his angry rants, which was quite a feat.

After that Kouga left him alone, and withdrew the guards from his son, and Kazu was free to do as he pleased. He was pretty sure that Kouga had finally realized that it was no use trying to cage him in, and he was thankful for that. He wished that he could explain to his father why he was being so distant, but he just couldn't. He started training with Satoru during the day after that, and had been doing so for the past year.

As his teacher came into sight he slowed to a jog and then to a walk, coming to stand before Satoru.

"Twenty laps, Sensei, and the day is still young." He grinned at the old man smugly.

Satoru nodded in acknowledgment.

"Well then, I suppose it's time to begin another area of training then, eh?"

Kazu's face lit up at the prospect of doing something other than running all day.

"You mean it, Sensei?" he asked eagerly.

Satoru nodded and then quickly throw a long object at him. Kazu tried to catch it, but the speed of the object was too fast for him, and it whizzed by him into a nearby bush. He went to retrieve it, and found that it was a wooden practice sword. Snatching it up he returned to Satoru, who stood patiently waiting.

"Apparently we need to work on your reflexes, my boy," he said seriously. "A warrior with poor reflexes can never survive in battle."

Kazu nodded and glanced at the wooden katana in his hands. "What is the practice katana for then, Sensei?"

"I'll show you," Satoru said as he turned around and picked a handful of something off the ground.

Kazu eyed him warily as his teacher turned back around. They stood in silence for a few moments, and then there was a loud whoosh sound and Kazu was on the ground clutching his knee.

"Ow, ow, ow! What the hell was that?!"

A large bruise was already forming on his knee, but he forced himself to stand and search for the object that had assaulted him. There was another whooshing sound and Kazu instinctively leapt out of the way. He heard a loud thumping sound as the object collided with a tree, and Kazu saw a small rock fall to the ground beneath said tree.

"Good job, my boy. Good job," Satoru praised him before motioning him back into place. "Now, again."

Kazu's jawed dropped. "You're chucking rocks at me?! How is that supposed to help me?" He hadn't even seen his teacher move!

Satoru chuckled. "Oh, it's not. It's just fun."

"You're crazy, old man!" Kazu yelled at his teacher, face furious.

Satoru laughed louder, his shoulders shaking. "I'm only teasing. You're supposed to use the katana to _block_ the rocks, or otherwise move out of their way. We're working on reflexes, remember?"

Kazu quickly forced himself to get his temper under control. Taking up his position again, he said, "I'm sorry, Sensei. I meant no disrespect."

Kazu's words sent Satoru into another fit off laughter, and this time he was practically roaring.

"Oh yes you did, my boy, don't lie. Not that I blame you for it though."

Kazu grinned sheepishly for a moment, before returning to the task at hand. Focusing hard on Satoru, he saw his teacher move his wrist slightly, and the whooshing sound came again. This time Kazu was ready.

Although the rock was flying so fast he couldn't see it, he could hear it. Allowing his hearing to guide him, he swung the practice sword and managed to block the rocks path before it could damage his other knee.

"Good. Again!" Satoru called out before flinging another stone in his direction.

The rest of the day was spent in that manner, Satoru throwing rocks, and Kazu _trying_ to block or dodge him. Although he did well, by the time the sun was setting he had multiple bruises blooming all over his body.

'_So much for training not hurting anymore,'_ he groaned inwardly. Just when he had gotten used to the running, he was back to being in pain all over again.

xxxxxx

Kouga watched his son limp back into the den from wherever he had been all day. Although he was incredibly curious as to where his son spent his days, he had decided that he would allow his son some privacy. If Kazu didn't want him to know, then there was probably a reason. But just where did that boy get all of those bruises?!

"Kazu," Kouga called out to his son, who was making his way towards his bed. "Come over here, son."

Kazu froze for a moment, but then went to his father.

"Yes, dad?" he asked, his voice soft.

"What in the world happened to you? Where did you get all of those bruises?"

Kouga waited patiently for a response as Kazu fidgeted. Finally, after several moments of awkward silence, Hakkaku entered the den and came to his rescue.

"Say, Kazu. Did you fall out of a tree or something? You look terrible!"

Kazu's face lit up as he latched onto the excuse. "Yeah! That's what happened! I fell out of a tree!"

Kouga rolled his eyes at the obvious lie but decided to let it go.

"Well next time be more careful, okay?"

Kazu nodded at his father and then yawned. "I'm going to bed now, I'm beat. Falling out of trees takes a lot out of a person."

Kouga just grunted, trying to hold back a laugh.

Kazu made his way to his bed, ready to drop after the day of training, but as luck would have it his sisters entered the den at the exact moment.

"Kazu!" Tsukiko called out as both her and Asami made their way across the den to their brother. "What happened to you?"

Kazu groaned inwardly. '_I wish they would just leave me alone!'_

"I fell out of a tree, sis."

Asami snorted. "Yeah right! There's no way you would get all bruised up like that from falling out of a tree!"

"I said I fell out of tree," he growled.

Tsukiko eyed her brother for a moment before dropping her voice to a whisper and asking, "Have you been fighting, Kazu?"

Kazu looked from Tsukiko to Asami, both looking back at him with excitment in their eyes, waiting for their brother's answer.

"Oh come on, Kazu! You can tell us, we won't tell dad!" Asami pleaded.

Kazu just grunted. "I fell out of a tree."

Tsukiko and Asami let out an "Awww..." at the same moment, disappointed that their brother wouldn't share his secret with them.

"Fine then, be that way," Asami pouted before she left to seek out Ginta.

Kazu shrugged and settled down onto his bed, ready to pass out. He felt someone kneel down beside him, and he opened his eyes to glare at Tsukiko.

"What the hell do you want now?" he growled irritably.

"Kazu..." she said softly, "You know you can tell us anything, we wouldn't betray you. I already have some ideas of my own as to where you have been going and what you've been doing, but I haven't said anything to anyone."

Kazu sighed and nodded. "I told you what happened, Tsukiko. I fell out of a tree, end of story."

Tsukiko sighed and stood. "I'll find out one way or another, Kazu. It would be easier if you just told me, you know."

Kazu faked snoring, and Tsukiko just shook her head as she left to join her father by the fire, plans to find out her brother's secret already forming in her mind.

xxxxxx

Tsukiko spent the next week forming her plan to follow her brother, and after telling Asami about it, her sister had gotten in on it too. Their only problem: Kouga.

Although their brother had managed to escape their father's protectiveness, they had not. They were still not allowed to venture outside the den without an escort. They had little freedom at all. And a lot of it had to do with the fact that they were female, and according to their father, too precious and too valuable to the wolf tribes to be allowed to wander off alone.

The two discussed this problem as they sat around the den fire and ate leftover boar meat.

"I don't see why Kazu gets to be the exception!" Asami whined as she tore off a piece of meat and stuffed it in her mouth.

"It's only because daddy gave up on trying to control him," Tsukiko grumbled. "Oh, and the fact that we're _girls_!" she snarled angerily.

"It's been like this for two years! You would think daddy would be over his protectiveness trip by now," Asami said growling through clenched teeth.

Tsukiko thought for a moment.

"Well, maybe we need to tell him that."

Asami blinked at her sister. "Say what?"

Tsukiko shook her head. "Maybe would should tell him that we've had enough of this, and that he needs to get over himself."

Asami's jaw dropped. "You want to tell our father, _and alpha of our pack_, to get over himself? Are you crazy?!"

Tsukiko laughed. "No, but I don't see any other way to get around him. Maybe I won't say it to him _exactly_ like that..."

Her sister just looked at her like she was insane.

"Whatever, Tsukiko. I'll back you on this, but _you_ get to do all the talking."

xxxxxx

The following day Tsukiko and Asami approached their father, determined to get their way and their freedom back, whatever it took.

"Daddy?" Tsukiko said sweetly, taking a seat in her father's lap and looking up at him with the best puppy eyes she could muster. Asami merely sat beside her father, copying her sister's expression.

Kouga was no fool though, and knew that his daughters where up to something.

"What is it that you two want?" he asked them, suspicious.

"Well, we wanted to talk to you about Kazu," Tsukiko said, still putting on the innocent display.

The mention of Kazu pricked Kouga's interest. "What about your brother?" he asked.

Asami motioned to her sister to go on, and Tsukiko summoned the saddest look she could.

"We don't think that it's fair that Kazu gets to do what he wants, but we're stuck here under lock and key."

_'So that's what they want,_' he thought dryly.

"It's not going to happen girls, sorry. You know I only do this because it's in yours and the packs best interest."

Tsukiko was instantly on her feet and her face went from sad to pure anger in point two seconds. If sweetness wasn't going to work then maybe a direct approach would.

"And who says that it's in our best interest to be kept like caged birds?!" she snarled. She had had enough of her father's antics, and she was going to let him know it.

"What about what _we_ want? You give Kazu freedom yet deny it to us! Why is he so special?!"

Kouga was stunned for a moment. Looking at his enraged daughter he could have sworn for a moment that it was Sayomi. Shaking his head the vision cleared, and he was faced with his daughter once more.

Asami had moved from his side to stand defiantly beside her sister, and Kouga pondered Tsukiko's question. He really didn't have an answer. Kazu only had his freedom because no matter what Kouga did, the boy would not obey him, and he had given up trying to control him. But he couldn't give the girls that freedom, they were the future of the pack.

"We are not going to discuss this, my decision is final!" he growled, frustrated.

Asami glared at her father, choosing that moment to speak up.

"Do you really think that this is what mom would have wanted for us? Do you think that she would have been okay with locking us away simply because we are _female_?!" she asked in a low growl.

That did it. Kouga stared at his daughter, wanting to yell at her for her insolence, but he knew she was right. All Sayomi had wanted all of her life was freedom, and she would never have wanted her pups denied the same freedom. If she could see him right then Kouga was sure that she would have smacked him silly for his transgressions against their pups.

Kouga's shoulders slumped, and he sighed. "You're right. I have not been fair. You are free to do as you please as long as you stay in the pack lands."

Asami and Tsukiko's serious faces at once broke into smiles as they looked at each other in victory, and Kouga finally realized the extent of his selfishness.

"Girls, I'm sorry. I never meant to be unfair, I only meant to protect you and keep you safe."

Both girls knelt and hugged their father, understanding that he had only done what he had thought was right.

"It's alright, daddy. It's alright."

xxxxxx

The next morning the two girls set out after their brother, determined to get to the bottom of things. They stayed a mile behind their brother at all times and followed only his scent so that he wouldn't know they were there.

As they ran through the woods, weaving in and out of trees, Asami asked, "So what do you think is going on here, Tsukiko? Any ideas?"

Tsukiko nodded. "I think that it has something to do with mom. Like, maybe he's trying to find her still."

Asami frowned. "But we already know that she's not in the tribe lands, and he's headed deeper into the lands, not away from them."

Tsukiko suddenly changed her course of direction. "He went this way," she said, signaling to Asami.

As Kazu's scent grew stronger the girls slowed their pace to a walk. They weren't far from a human village, they could smell it in the air.

"Maybe he's taken a liking to a human girl?" Asami suggested.

Tsukiko shook her head. "No, he isn't going into the village. Check his scent again. He's somewhere on the outskirts of the village."

As they drew nearer to where Kazu was, they could hear their brother's voice, and he was talking to someone.

"Sensei, don't you have something _softer_ to throw at me?" they heard their brother whine.

"Oh course not! If it was softer you wouldn't try so hard to dodge it, now would you?" a voice boomed.

Creeping up to hide behind a nearby bush, both Asami and Tsukiko picked out at the scene before them. Their brother stood wielding a wooden katana, and in front of him stood a old human man.

"What in the world is going on here?" Asami whispered.

Tsukiko just shrugged. "Shh, let's watch."

The man facing their brother suddenly threw a rock right at Kazu's head, and Asami instinctively jumped out from her hiding place and yelled. "Kazu! Watch out!"

Kazu, startled by his sister's sudden appearance, stopped focusing on the rock, which in turn hit him square in the forehead.

"God damnit!" he swore, dropping his practice sword and clutching his forehead.

"Good going Asami," Tsukiko said with a sigh as she came out into the open. "You went and blew our cover."

Since Kazu was still spewing colorful strings of curses, Satoru turned to the greet the girls.

"Ah, you must be Kazuhiko's sisters. I heard so much about you both."

Tsukiko eyed the old man warily. "Yes, we are his sisters. And just who are you?"

Satoru chuckled at the girl's defensiveness. She too, like her brother, had the makings of a warrior.

_'Even little Asami does,'_ he thought as he looked her over. _'What parents these three must have!'_

Shaking himself from his thoughts he smiled at Tsukiko.

"I am Satoru, your brother's sensei."

"Sensei?" Asami questioned. "What exactly are you teaching him, and why?"

Just then their brother came sauntering over, glaring daggers.

"Just what are you two doing here?!"

Tsukiko smiled smugly. "Well, when you wouldn't tell us what you were up to we decided to follow you and see for ourselves. We are quite disappointed that we followed you all the way out here to find out you spend your time having rocks thrown at you, though."

"I'm not having rocks thrown at me, I'm training!" he growled, fists clenched at his sides.

"Oh really? What are you training for, huh?" Asami prodded.

Kazu opened his mouth but then quickly shut it, realizing he had already given too much away.

Quickly changing the subject he said, "What are you doing out here without escorts? You two aren't allowed to leave the den with out a guard."

Asami giggled. "Oh no, we're free to do as we please. We had a little chat with daddy, you see."

Ignoring a now fuming Kazu, Tsukiko turned back to the old man. "So Satoru, what is going on here?"

The old man chuckled. "Well you see..."

"Stop right there!" Kazu ground out. "Not another word!"

Satoru looked at his pupil quizzically. "What's wrong, Kazu? You're sister's have every right to know what's going on here."

Kazu shook his head violently. "No, they cannot get involved in this, I won't risk it!"

Satoru placed a hand on Kazu's shoulder. "Now, my boy, don't you think that you've let this go long enough? What you wish to do cannot be done alone. I think your sisters would want the choice to stand by your side, and your mothers."

"Mom?" Asami pipped up. "What about mom?"

Kazu sighed, knowing he was defeated. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you. I know where mother went. She went to fight Naraku. And I'm training so that I can go help her."

Tsukiko marched right up to her brother and slapped him. "Who the hell do you think you are?! I can't believe that you knew what was going on this entire time and you didn't tell us! How could you do that to us? Oh! And what makes you think that we don't want to help mom, too? All this time you've been training we could have been training too!"

By the time Tsukiko was done with her tirade the little girl was severely out of breath, and stood panting in front of her brother.

"She's right, you know," was all Asami said.

Kazu nodded. "I know. I just didn't want you to get involved. You could get hurt!"

Tsukiko snorted. "As much as you like to think that you're the only warrior around here, you're wrong. You know damn well that Asami and I can hold our own."

Kazu looked down at his feet, ashamed.

After several moments of silence, Satoru clapped his hands.

"Well! Now that we know that the girls want to be a part of this, how about you two join us in training?" he said with a grin.

"But Sensei, they're _two years_ behind me in training! They'll never catch up in time!" Kazu protested.

Tsukiko and Asami glared at him, but Satoru broke in and said, "No, no, my boy. They are not. You see, the time that I've spent with you honing your speed and now your agility doesn't need to be spent with them. As females, they are naturally faster and more agile then males. With them, I'll have to work on brute strength, which comes naturally to you."

Kazu wanted to protest, but what his Sensei said made sense. Even with all the training he had done the girls still bested him in speed and agility, but they lacked muscle unlike him.

With a sigh he nodded in agreement.

"So what will it be, ladies?" Satoru asked Tsukiko and Asami.

The girls looked at each other and nodded.

"Count us in!"


	11. Chapter 11: Enter Kagura

A/N: OMG! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! Life's just been killing me, one thing after another. I haven't updated in like a month! Please forgive me, I'm going to do my absolute best to get back on track with this story.

A big thanks to all my loyal reviewers: Daeth101 - Fox version, tsukiko008, Lady Rini, Daisy19971, Night Neko-Jin, JrocksAnime, and Snowy B. I love you guys, thanks for all your patience.

And thank you to KeikoHayasaka.... But where were you?! You should have been PMing me like crazy to kick my butt into gear!!! I can't work when I don't have constant death threats from you!

haha.

* * *

"Remind me _why_ we're doing this again?" Tsukiko groaned, her shoulders slumped with the weight of the water-filled pails she was carrying.

Asami huffed for a few moments, sweat pouring down her face as she struggled beside her sister to climb the hill before them.

"We're -huff- doing this -huff- for momma, -huff- remember?" she panted.

Tsukiko rolled her eyes, "Asami, that was a rhetorical question."

Asami said nothing, just continued to make her way up the seemingly never-ending hill, thinking to herself.

Satoru made them fetch water as part of their strength and endurance training, and they had been doing this for a little over a year now. At first it took them hours just to bring up the first round of buckets, but as time had worn on they had gotten better at it. It was still hard, but they could now bring up several rounds of water in a day.

Just to prove that she was improving in strength, Asami would challenge Kazu to an arm wrestling match every night, and she was getting closer and and closer to beating him every time.

This thought brought a grin to her face.

"What are you smiling at?" Her sister asked, bewildered.

Asami laughed, shaking the buckets she carried on her back and causing some of the water to slosh out.

"I was just thinking that tonight could be the night that I finally beat Kazu," she said, still smiling.

Just then the girls reached their destination at the top of the hill, and they set their buckets down, Tsukiko wiping the sweat from her forehead while Asami doubled over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Finally!" Tsukiko sighed while glaring down at the buckets of water that had become the bane of her existence.

Just then they heard a loud 'thwap' followed by a yelp, courtesy of Kazu.

"Sounds like he didn't get out of the way in time," Asami sighed, shaking her head.

"Let's go see the damage," Tsukiko said, a mischievous grin snaking its way across her face.

Both girls grabbed their pales and made their way through a thin line of trees into a nearby clearing, where they found their Sensei standing over a very abused looking Kazuhiko. Setting their pails down, they made their way over to the two.

"What happened?" Tsukiko asked. Kazu had long ago graduated from trying to simply avoid the rocks thrown at him. For the last few weeks Satoru had him running through the forest and trees, learning defensive maneuvers. Of course, Satoru had also started using smaller rocks, which hurt even more.

Satoru raised an eye brow at the girl. "Kazu didn't manage to dodge the rock, and lost his balance in the tree he was in, and fell out."

Tsukiko looked back at her brother, who lay curled up on the ground, hand clenched to his side, face twisted in pain. She sighed.

"Kazu, stop being dramatic. You're fine, get up."

Suddenly the breeze changed direction, and Asami, who stood at her sister's side, caught a scent that made her eyes go wide.

"Kazu," Asami whispered, "Are you _bleeding_?"

Tsukiko looked from Asami and back to Kazu, disbelievingly. Kneeling beside her brother, she lifted his hand from his side, and gasped.

He was definitely bleeding. Kazu glared at no one in particular. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's nothing." He tried to sit up but his face twisted in pain and he fell back to the ground.

"Oh, Kazu, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Tsukiko groaned as she examined the wound. Suddenly she heard a low whistle, but had no time to move. A sharp pain shot up her side as a rock made contact with her skin.

She spun around, glaring, her eyes settling on her teacher.

"What in the hell did you do that for?! Can't you see he's hurt and I'm trying to help him?!" she hissed.

Satoru snorted. "In battle, even if your comrade falls, you do not allow it to distract you from your enemy. Defeat your enemy first, then tend your fallen."

"But Sensei, this isn't a battle," Asami said, kneeling beside her brother as well.

Satoru shook his head, "Life is always a battle. You have to be prepared for anything and everything. Even if you go to tend your fallen you must always be alert."

The pups just glared at him, and he chuckled.

"Alright, alright, we'll break for now. It you don't get that rock out of him his skin will heal over it soon and he'll be stuck with it in his side forever."

Tsukiko nodded, and then turned to her sister. "Go bring me one of those buckets of water so I can clean it out."

Asami nodded and retrieved the water as Tsukiko turned to Kazu.

"Okay, I'm gonna dig it out. Take a deep breath and hold still."

Kazu did as he was told, and nodded at her to go ahead. Tsukiko, using her claws, quickly dug the stone out and threw it across the clearing, Kazu never making a sound. Asami came back with the water and rinsed the wound.

"Better?" They asked their brother.

Kazu sat up, only slightly flinching. "Much," he nodded. "It should be healed over by tonight."

Satoru sat next to boy, and gestured for the girls to do the same.

"Thank the Kami for demon healing, eh Kazu?" he chuckled. Kazu just shrugged and waited for his Sensei to continue.

"Kazu, you dealt with the pain of battle wonderfully. And Tsukiko, Asami... You two have made amazing progress in your training. I do believe that it is time for the last stage of all of your training."

Kazu, Tsukiko, and Asami all stared at their teacher with wide eyes.

"Do you mean..." Kazu started.

"That we get to..." Tsukiko continued.

"Train in fighting?!" Asami finished, almost bouncing up and down from excitement.

Satoru nodded. "Yes. You have completed the training necessary for you to begin training in fighting styles and tecniques. But I warn you three, do not get your hopes up. This stage is the longest, and it will take some time for you to master the skills of fighting. I know you want to aid your mother, but you'll be no help to her if you cannot fight properly."

The pups hung their heads, knowing he was right. The needed to help their mother, not get in the way.

Kazu looked back up at his teacher, shoulders squared.

"No matter what or how long it takes, we'll master our fighting and go help our mother."

Tsukiko and Asami nodded feverently in agreement, and Satoru smiled.

"Good to hear that. Now go home and rest, we begin at dawn tomorrow."

xxxxxx

Sayomi walked slowly down a dirt road, lost deep in thought. After meeting Jiro, she had down a complete turn around, and was now heading southwest in search of Naraku. She was determined now, more than ever to find and destroy the bastard who had brought such death and destruction to the land.

She thought of her mate and pups back home, and her heart wept. It was unnatural for a female to leave her pups for an extended amount of time, and her instincts told her to return to her family. Fighting those instincts was starting to take its toll on her.

She sighed, bringing herself out of her reverie. She had a mission to accomplish, she could not give in now.

Suddenly the wind picked up full force, and Sayomi found herself having to crouch low to the ground to keep from blowing away.

"What the-" Sayomi started, but was cut off by a feminine voice.

"Well, well, well. It looks like I've found an escapee," the voice said as the wind died down. "I don't think Naraku will be very pleased to find that one of his precious little pets has managed to escape him."

Sayomi stood and faced the voice, finding it belonged to a woman in a burgundy striped kimono. Sayomi looked the woman over, noting that her ebony hair was held in a bun behind her head, and that her eyes and lips where both blood red. But what interested her the most was the fan that the woman was holding. The object rang a bell in her mind, but she couldn't place it.

"Who are you?" Sayomi growled, taking up a defensive stance. "And what do you want?"

The woman laughed. "I am Kagura of the wind. And I just happened to notice there was a little black wolf running around, and thought I would check it out." Her mouth curved into a wicked grin.

Instantly Sayomi knew the woman as one of Naraku's incarnations that Kouga had told her about. The woman was dangerous, and also responsible for the slaughter of her's and Kouga's men.

Sayomi's vision began to bleed red with the hatred that she felt for this woman.

"And now that you have seen me, what do you plan to do?" she snarled at Kagura as her body shook with anger.

Kagura tapped her chin with her fan thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose that I could kill you for running away from Naraku. He would probably kill you in the end for running anyway, and my method would be a bit more merciful."

Sayomi snarled again. "I have never, nor will I ever be, a slave to that bastard Naraku! I will make him pay for he has done to my comrades!"

Just then Sayomi snapped and began to grow. The sound of bones shifting and relocating filled the air, and in just moments a large black wolf stood in her place, it's violet eyes burning with rage.

Kagura gasped, having never seen a member of the wolf tribe phase before. The wolf that stood before her was huge, towering over even the surrounding trees. It was midnight black with three white marks running from its shoulder, under its stomach, and to its hip.

The wolf launched itself at Kagura, the demoness barely getting out of the way in time. Rounding on the wolf she cried out, "Dance of Blades!"

The wolf saw the attack coming and nimbly moved out of the way, clamping it's teeth down on Kagura's shoulder before the demoness could get away.

"Argh!" Kagura yelled, trying to free herself from the jaws of the attacking wolf. Aiming for its head, she yelled again, "DANCE OF BLADES!"

The blades soared right by the wolfs head, one slightly clipping the side of its face. In its surprise the wolf dropped Kagura and shook its head, trying to rid itself of the pain. Kagura took the opportunity to take to the air on her feather and make a hasty retreat.

When the wolf saw that the threat was gone she began to calm down, and a few moments later Sayomi stood in its place, panting.

She looked down at her hands and arms, bewildered. Never before had she been angry enough to phase to her true form. It was exhilarating!

She scanned the sky for any sign of Kagura, but found none. Feeling something dripping down her face, she brought her hand up to her cheek and found that she was bleeding.

"Damn it," she growled as she started her search for a water source so she could clean up. Lucky for her there was a creek nearby, and she was able to wash the blood away to examine the wound. It was shallow, and already healing. No big deal.

Looking at her reflection in the water, she spat, "Damn it."

xxxxxx

Kagura was well away from the crazy wolf that had attacked her, floating on the breeze and examining the now ruined sleeve of her kimono.

"Stupid wolf..." she muttered.

She had been completely caught of guard by the strength and will of the wolf. There was no way that she was one of Naraku's little captives, or she would have destroyed the hanyou by now. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Suddenly smiled. "Yes, a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps that can be of use to me..."


	12. Chapter 12: The Art of Fighting

A/N: New chapter. I just felt so bad for not writing for so long that I wanted to give you guys another chapter asap to make up for it. I love you all!

A big thanks to my reviewers who have stuck by my side through all my little stumbles: Daisy19971, Daeth101 - Fox version, and Lady Rini.

And a big thanks to KeikoHayasaka, for all the motivation.

Iaido is the way of drawing the sword in japanese sword play.

* * *

Kouga sat in the den watching the fire roar, waiting for his pups to return for dinner. He didn't know where they went or what they did, but he had given up on trying to control them, it simply was no use. Just look at who their parents are for Kami's sake!

It had been three and a half years since his wife's disappearance, and he was beginning to lose hope. He had patrols all over the land, but she had not been spotted even once since she had left.

He knew in his heart that she was alive somewhere, but what he didn't know was whether she was safe or not. Was she somewhere out there in the world, sitting by a fire like he was? Was she alone, or did she have a companion? Better yet, was she locked in a dungeon being tortured?

Kouga let out a low growl at the last thought, and mentally kicked himself. He blamed all of this on himself. As her mate, he should have known that something was up, he should have found her when she left! He should have gone with her to protect her...

But he know all too well that if Sayomi wanted to do something, she would do it. And if she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be. Plus, he couldn't very well leave his young pups to be raised by the pack while he went to find his mate. They were his children, and he had a duty to them.

As if on que, the triplets trotted into the den, chattering excitedly.

"I can't believe it!" Tsukiko squealed.

"I know, it's about damn time!" Kazu said with a huff.

"I bet you I can kick both your asses!" Asami challenged.

Kouga just watched his children, them not having noticed him yet. Trying to get their attention, he cleared his throat and said, "What's going on?"

The pups froze. After a moment, they slowly turned to face their father, now noticing his presence in the den.

"O-Oh, hey daddy!" Asami waved, a falsely innocent smile plastered on her face.

Tsukiko gulped and followed her sisters charade. "Hi, daddy. I thought you were out with the hunting group!"

Kouga shook his head. "There was a large herd of deer nearby, the hunt was short and we got back early. So, you going to tell me what's so exciting?"

The pups looked at one another, trying to come up with something, but drawing a blank. They hung their heads.

"W-Well daddy, you see... We, u-uh..." Asami stuttered.

"We were waiting for this tree to grow!" Kazu suddenly cut in.

Kouga stared at his son for a moment. "And what's so exciting about a tree growing? And what does that have to do with your sister thinking that she can 'kick both your asses'?"

Kazu glanced around nervously, trying to come up with an answer to his father's question.

Tsukiko came to his rescue.

"Well, you see, we were waiting for it to grow really, really big, so then we could race each other to the top and see who's the fastest tree climber!" She nodded her head as if she were giving herself a pat on the back for coming up with such a brilliant answer.

Kouga rolled his eyes. How stupid did his pups think he was?

"I don't believe you, but I don't think I want to know what you were really talking about, so just come sit down and eat."

The pups simultaneously let out a sigh of relief and went to sit by the fire with their fire, their stomachs suddenly rumbling with hunger.

xxxxxx

Kanna stood in front of Naraku, her mirror held up in front of her so he could see.

He always kept an eye on Kagura, she had proven herself deceitful and untrustworthy. And by watching her, she had lead him right to a subject of interest to him.

He pondered over the battle he kept having Kanna replay. Apparently there was a black wolf that still roamed free, and she was powerful. Fueled by her hatred of him and the imprisonment of her kinsmen, she was set on killing him. And that might just cause a problem in his plans. Death was always a problem.

He absentmindedly rubbed his chin as he thought of what to do.

"Naraku..." Kanna's light voice rang out. "I think I have a solution for you..."

She held up her mirror once again, and the surface changed to show a dark cave. Suddenly a pair of red eyes appeared, and Naraku smiled.

"Perfect."

xxxxxx

The pups were up and gone well before the break of dawn, their excitement keeping them awake most of the night. Arriving at the clearing they trained in they sat and watched the dawn break with excitement. Kazu yawned loudly as the girls picked up on a low whooshing sound. Both immediately jumped up and out of the way of the flying rock, leaving Kazu to be hit in the head.

"Ow..." he grumbled, rubbing the lump that was already forming on his head.

"Kazu..." Satoru sighed as he walked into the clearing, "Maybe you need more training in agility."

"No way!" Kazu almost shouted. "You just caught me off guard is all! It's not going to happen again."

Satoru chuckled. "Alright, I'll take your word for it."

With that he tossed them each a wooden practice katana, each with it's own sheath.

"We will begin with the Iaido. If you cannot draw your sword properly, then you cannot fight properly. Also, your enemy can take advantage of this weakness and attack you while you are simply trying to draw. Let's begin."

The pups nodded as they finished tying their practice swords at their sides.

"Now draw," Satoru commanded.

Slowly and gingerly, they each pulled their out katanas of their sheaths. Satoru sighed. "That's the best you can do?" he asked in disbelief. "We have a long way to go."

The pups looked at each other sheepishly. Truth be told, none of them had ever handled a sword before in their lives.

Satoru took up a position in front of them, his hand on his own sword. "Watch closely," he told them solemnly.

In the second it took for Kazu to blink, Satoru's sword had been drawn from its sheath and was now held in his hand, ready to do battle.

"Your movement must be sure and strong. You must make the metal flow out of its sheath, like water. Do you understand?"

The pups nodded, determined to do better.

"Alright then, draw." Satoru commanded again.

This time the swords flew out easily, and their Sensei nodded in approval. "Better, much better. Try to get your sword up in defensive in the same motion that it takes to draw. Make the two motions one. Now again, draw."

xxxxxx

Sayomi sat beneath the shade of a tree, eating the meat of the deer that lay not to far away from her. Bringing down a deer without a pack wasn't so easy, but she had done well enough.

She ate her fill and sat for a moment, contently looking up at the sky. The day was bright and beautiful, she wanted to enjoy it. Leaning back she let her eyes close, and soon had drifted off to sleep. It was a few hours later that she was awoken by an ominous feeling.

Quickly scanning her surroundings she found nothing out of the ordinary, and tried to forget it, but she just couldn't shake the feeling. She went to her earlier kill and tore chunks of meat off the carcass, stuffing them into her pack for her to eat at a later time. As soon as she had finished, she set off through the forest.

Night was falling fast, and Sayomi felt as if she was being watched. She scanned the area around her again, but found nothing but trees and a few squirrels.

"Jeeze, get it together Sayomi," she grumbled to herself. "You're starting to lose it."

As she walked further into the forest complete darkness fell, and she was thankful for the ability to see at night. Winding her way between the trees in her path, she suddenly stopped. She could have sworn that she had just heard something move behind her. Spinning around in a circle, she found nothing, and began to pick up her pace a bit.

There it was again!

She froze and looked around, frustrated when she yet again found nothing.

"What the hell?!" she groaned. She began running, just wanting to get the hell out of that damn forest. She had scarcely gone a hundred yards before she felt something silky touch her skin. And it stuck.

"What in the world?" she questioned aloud as the looked around at the silky strands that hung from the trees and stuck to her skin. Upon further examination she realized what they were.

_"Spiderwebs?_" she thought. _"What's going on here?"_

A loud hiss came in response, and Sayomi whipped her head around in its direction, only to be confronted with a pair of glowing red eyes.

"So hungry..." it hissed. Suddenly the webs around Sayomi tightened, and she found herself suspended in the air. She tried to claw through the webbing, but there was just so much of it that the work was going slowly.

Then her tormentor came into view. Sayomi cringed as the monstrously huge spider came into her line of sight. She hated spiders, they were just so disgusting!

"So hungry..." it hissed again. "I think I will eat you now, instead of saving you for later..."

Sayomi looked up to the sky with a look that clearly said _why me?_ as the spider closed in. Sayomi sighed and cracked her knuckles, before ripping through the majority of the webbing.

"Sorry," she growled at the spider, "That's just not going to happen."

xxxxxx

Naraku brought his fist down on the table before him with a growl. He watched in Kanna's mirror as Sayomi brushed the blood and guts of the now deceased spider off of herself, and went on her way again. He had thought to dispatch the she-wolf before she got to close to him, but this was proving to be more of a problem than he had originally thought. He had greatly underestimated the she-wolf.

"Kanna," he said in a low voice.

"Yes, Naraku?" Kanna's hallow voice answered.

"Leave me now, I must think."

"Yes, Master Naraku."


	13. Chapter 13: NEW AN: The Story Goes On!

Author's Note:

I'm baaaaaack!

You missed me, right? I sure hope so.

Alrighty boys and girls, here's the deal:

I realized that the story was just not progressing right due to the pups young, young age, and that's one of the reasons I was having such a hard time writing the story. There was just too much filler to come up with while waiting for the pups to grow older!

SO!

I have gone back through the story and changed the pups age to ten at the time of their first hunt, and at the time of Sayomi's leaving. Their ages change at the same rate as before, and by chapter twelve they are about thirteen and a half. Trust me, it flows so much more smoothly with them being older. However, I would recommend that you all just go back and kinda skim over the last twelve chapters. A few minor changes have been made, and it will probably be a good refresher since it's been so long since I last updated.

With that said, a new chapter will be posted in the next few days, and this little note will disappear, so read over the story and sit tight, cuz here we go!

Much love and devotion,

Keara


End file.
